Reply to: Most contractor unfriendly clients and clients managers

[GhostofTarbera]

If buying beer is expected then you can expense it I suppose? And as a B2B relationship great for IR35.

Indeed I once got a £200 a day increase because I got the beers in at ALL events


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[ladymuck]

I remember as a wet behind the ears junior dev from oop North being dragged around various seedy Liverpool street strip bars by senior contractors. One prevailing memory is one of the more lively members of our squad spitting his pint of fizzy onto one of the dancers jugs and we were all ejected rather quickly.

Ah so you've met Tarby!

[DoctorStrangelove]

What was their sin?

One was magick numbers in the code, the other was somewhere I decided I didn't want to work.

At a third place it took me 3 weeks to realise I know nothing about writing safety critical software though the client didn't seem to care much*.


*I note that's changed in recent years. I wonder if they got sued for killing someone. It didn't help that on the 2nd week my desk got moved from downstairs with a window to upstairs next to the cadaver room.

[d000hg]

If buying beer is expected then you can expense it I suppose? And as a B2B relationship great for IR35.

[CheeseSlice]

Also know a department manger of who was quite open about the fact the he "hates contractors", and was openly insulting to them in front of other people.

My last gig had one of those. A delivery manager. He was very open about his preference to hire perm or convert contractors to perm, but preferably to hire consultants for any short term stuff. He had decided that contractors were basically pointless. Said this straight to my face too.

Just weeks after I left I found out he had been made redundant. I guess someone decided he was pointless.

[PlanB]

Client asked all contractors not to go into “griffin pub” across the road £1 in a pint nudie dance pub directly from the office as was giving the company a bad name, and asked if we could walk round the block 1st away from client site.doing a loop before we went in


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I remember as a wet behind the ears junior dev from oop North being dragged around various seedy Liverpool street strip bars by senior contractors. One prevailing memory is one of the more lively members of our squad spitting his pint of fizzy onto one of the dancers jugs and we were all ejected rather quickly.

[Anonimouse]

Car parking, really? My goodness that's scraping the barrel as to 'bad client' criteria.

Virgin Atlantic was similar, not allowed in staff car park, expected to,park at unmade football club car park, but didn’t prevent on street parking, though you’d need to early for that

[darmstadt]

From what I've heard, #1 is quite common in Germany. Some companies completely segregate contractors from permies. Not worked there myself so this is second/third hand knowledge. I don't have an issue with it as long as it doesn't impact productivity. Spend too long hanging around the permies and they start to treat you like one, and you start behaving like one....

Yes, quite common, I've come across it many times as quite a lot of companies are never too sure of the law. Previous contract was all contractors had their own office(s) although they were next door to their permie overlords. Current one, I share an office with 2 permies.

One thing I have never come across in over 25 years of contracting here is the permie - contractor put down as noted a few times in this thread. Most of the time the relationship has been very good and they tend to use you for your experience and will come and use you as a sounding board and mentor.

[vetran]

Client asked all contractors not to go into “griffin pub” across the road £1 in a pint nudie dance pub directly from the office as was giving the company a bad name, and asked if we could walk round the block 1st away from client site.doing a loop before we went in


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Used to work for an outfit who had a European office in front of a lap dancing club, always amused me, the Germans were very matter of fact about it.

[ladymuck]

Client asked all contractors not to go into “griffin pub” across the road £1 in a pint nudie dance pub directly from the office as was giving the company a bad name, and asked if we could walk round the block 1st away from client site.doing a loop before we went in


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Definitely supervision, direction and control

[GhostofTarbera]

Client asked all contractors not to go into “griffin pub” across the road £1 in a pint nudie dance pub directly from the office as was giving the company a bad name, and asked if we could walk round the block 1st away from client site.doing a loop before we went in


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[unixman]

At a certain big place in Derby, permies got 2 screens and contractors got one. They are no longer in business.

[Zigenare]

Always WFH on Fridays so don't know about buying beer
Have seen #3 twice, had to park on a paid parking space 10 minutes walk

Oh well, tough tulip.

[Eirikur]

Always WFH on Fridays so don't know about buying beer
Have seen #3 twice, had to park on a paid parking space 10 minutes walk

[GJABS]

I've left a couple of contracts at lunch on the first day.

What was their sin?