Reply to: contract to permanent

[edison]

I've always been renewed on merit, but it doesn't hurt to be liked rather than a necessity. Being generous and being liked means you can then get away with virtually anything because people trust you.

It's the same reason I talk to security guards and receptionists, keep everyone sweet, always be polite and life is easier all round.

And it also means you get the freebies (I spent 6 months with a crap PM, who always ended up in crap hotel rooms while I was always upgraded. But he was a pain and demanding and I was always nice).

It's also just the decent thing to do.

Being liked by the client is surely just common sense as it generates goodwill? I made a few small individual donations to an ongoing charity event that my client was running in the run up to my contract coming to an end where I had been told I wouldn't be extended. I helped out with something personal for the client manager and out of the blue I was asked if I would be interested in staying a bit longer. I managed to squeeze two months extra work out of it.

All other things being equal, it can only be good for your prospects.

[PCTNN]

Place I’m at now doesn’t even have free coffee or fruit.

Worst place I've been for this reason was a company called Aegon up in Edinburgh. No free coffee, no kitchen area, no kettles, nothing at all.

If you wanted a coffee or a tea it was canteen or nothing. I still remember people wanting to make their own tea so they'd bring their tea bag, get a cup of hot water with a splash of milk from the canteen and get charged something like 30p for it.

[jayn200]

I've always been renewed on merit, but it doesn't hurt to be liked rather than a necessity. Being generous and being liked means you can then get away with virtually anything because people trust you.

It's the same reason I talk to security guards and receptionists, keep everyone sweet, always be polite and life is easier all round.

And it also means you get the freebies (I spent 6 months with a crap PM, who always ended up in crap hotel rooms while I was always upgraded. But he was a pain and demanding and I was always nice).

It's also just the decent thing to do.

[eek]

I've always prefered to be renewed based on merit, not on how much I've licked someone's a*se

I've always been renewed on merit, but it doesn't hurt to be liked rather than a necessity. Being generous and being liked means you can then get away with virtually anything because people trust you.

It's the same reason I talk to security guards and receptionists, keep everyone sweet, always be polite and life is easier all round.

And it also means you get the freebies (I spent 6 months with a crap PM, who always ended up in crap hotel rooms while I was always upgraded. But he was a pain and demanding and I was always nice).

[NowPermOutsideUK]

I've always prefered to be renewed based on merit, not on how much I've licked someone's a*se

Then you have a lot to learn on how important relationships and colleagues are to your success

[KinooOrKinog]

To be the generous one when renewal comes round and the budget can only pay for a single renewal.

I've always prefered to be renewed based on merit, not on how much I've licked someone's a*se

[ladymuck]

I'm quite happy to buy a round; just don't get the opportunity these days

[NowPermOutsideUK]

There used to an eleventh commandment on this forum that contractors always picked up the beer tabs and treated the client and perms well for exactly three reason eek gave.

As more people became contractors and rates got reduced I think this has been forgotten

[eek]

Why?

To be the generous one when renewal comes round and the budget can only pay for a single renewal.

[KinooOrKinog]

Seriously any self respecting contractor would buy Costa coffee for the whole team and if times were bad have to buy a £50 nspresso machibe

Why?

[hugebrain]

Hahahaha. You remind me of a contractor I worked with who used to steal food from the fridge and took toilet roll home from the office. ?

Stationery cupboard also always raided by him. It was hilarious

Seriously any self respecting contractor would buy Costa coffee for the whole team and if times were bad have to buy a £50 nspresso machibe

I always buy coffee for the entire team in my 2000 square foot office. Sadly it’s just me. I hate this year.

[NowPermOutsideUK]

Hahahaha. You remind me of a contractor I worked with who used to steal food from the fridge and took toilet roll home from the office. ?

Stationery cupboard also always raided by him. It was hilarious

Seriously any self respecting contractor would buy Costa coffee for the whole team and if times were bad have to buy a £50 nspresso machibe

[hugebrain]

The comment a out free beer at jp must be a joke. Hardly a benefit to get a free beer on a Friday

On Friday afternoons we weren’t expected to work. Just eat snacks and drink beer (being paid contract rates). So free £500 + unlimited beers, a bit of a benefit.

Sadly it went down from weekly to once a fortnight, now gone completely AFAIK.

Place I’m at now doesn’t even have free coffee or fruit.

(Not sure why I care, but I resent paying for coffee when THEY’RE the ones who want me to stay awake)

[hugebrain]

1 is actually very important - the one phrase that will scare HR more than an post April 2020 IR35 investigation is an Equal Pay claim....

But why would they pay more? If it’s because I could scam them for equal pay and redundancy pay, then why don’t I take the direct job and just do that?

[sira]

Care to explain this area interest me a lot

I know others who went on the Morgan Stanley grad scheme and spent five months in New York for a fully paid classroom training programme. With corp apartment etc. Not bad for a 22 year old.

So what was wrong with jp?

The comment a out free beer at jp must be a joke. Hardly a benefit to get a free beer on a Friday

JPM is a huge organisation so experiences may vary. Mine was very much chained to the desk type environment (being away from my desk for more than 15 mins would raise eyebrows), 12hr shifts, heavy surveillance and extreme micromanagement.

I remember one time, one of the VP's in our team got bollocked by an MD because his stocks were "too bright" and he deemed it unprofessional.

Apart from that it wasn't too bad, we used have grilled swordfish for lunch.