Reply to: Contractors and work politics

[Eirikur]

The general feel I get from you all is 'just suck it up and get on with it'. I don't think I will hang about here, will leave as soon as I land another role.

They f'd up my desire to work here and want me to baby sit this volatile team. They also didn't try and bring my SC over still I reminded them. Now I got the previous company telling me my SC was active and this in tell me its inactive.

Thanks for listening folks.

Just find a second contract and keep the two going for as long as you can, resign form the first one once it gets too much to handle

[malvolio]

To the last two people on this thread.

Nothing constructive added to the discussion by you two but thank you for your views on my personality. Now on your bike.

I don't know... You asked a question with half the facts missing, you failed to correct the natural assumptions that were made when trying to answer it and you don't seem to have read any of the answers properly anyway. For instance, you still haven't explained why your need SC for what sounds line a finance role in commerce. So perhjaps a degree of cynicism is warranted.

Incidentally, commercial companies might offer SC, but it won't impress any of the government departments or inside the wire companies where it is needed; you will be re-vetted for any such role. All that commercial SC offers is a way past the agent.

[northernladuk]

To the last two people on this thread.

Nothing constructive added to the discussion by you two but thank you for your views on my personality. Now on your bike.

You did post in General which is open season so a bit of a daft thing to do and you are inviting these types of response I am afraid.

[Qazim2003]

To the last two people on this thread.

Nothing constructive added to the discussion by you two but thank you for your views on my personality. Now on your bike.

[PCTNN]

...I feel I need to earn my money. Being on a high wage and doing little work makes me feel uneasy...

I don't think you're cut out to be a contractor.

[Zigenare]

The general feel I get from you all is 'just suck it up and get on with it'. I don't think I will hang about here, will leave as soon as I land another role.

They f'd up my desire to work here and want me to baby sit this volatile team. They also didn't try and bring my SC over still I reminded them. Now I got the previous company telling me my SC was active and this in tell me its inactive.

Thanks for listening folks.

Having read your posts and considered your reaction to people's responses, I've deduced that the problem is you. You are the weakest link, off you pop.

[Qazim2003]

Are you inside IR35?

Yes

[northernladuk]

Just to be clear the job description insisted on an SC clearance and it was one of the reason why I strolled into the role. Also one of the factors for why the management might be happy for me to sit around this team as they can't find someone with a clearance to do that role. Now whether it should be needed for this role I am doing or not..... No idea. Not sure what the rules are for these things.

Are you inside IR35?

[Qazim2003]

So you don't need SC at all. In fact it is totally irrelevant to IR work unless you are somehow creating stuff for a government department - and if you were you would not be working there anyway.

Just to be clear the job description insisted on an SC clearance and it was one of the reason why I strolled into the role. Also one of the factors for why the management might be happy for me to sit around this team as they can't find someone with a clearance to do that role. Now whether it should be needed for this role I am doing or not..... No idea. Not sure what the rules are for these things.

[Qazim2003]

The general feel I get from you all is 'just suck it up and get on with it'. I don't think I will hang about here, will leave as soon as I land another role.

They f'd up my desire to work here and want me to baby sit this volatile team. They also didn't try and bring my SC over still I reminded them. Now I got the previous company telling me my SC was active and this in tell me its inactive.

Thanks for listening folks.

[malvolio]

They confirmed to me 3 months into my role that the SC was inactive and just got me to sign a document to say I will not say anything about my work. Working within IR and previously was perm.

So you don't need SC at all. In fact it is totally irrelevant to IR work unless you are somehow creating stuff for a government department - and if you were you would not be working there anyway.

[Qazim2003]

If permis are fighting for your role we assume you are inside then?

Can't blame the perms for trying to push the contractor out. That's understandable. I've been in a ton of roles where the analysts looking to move up the chain would like the role I'm doing but it's rarely a perm role anyway so it's not an option for them. Because of that I've never had situations where I'm being pressured to fight for my work. It's to be expected but you've fallen unlucky that they are actively pressuring you. Bound to happen from time to time though so just part of the game.

I'd say time to move on. It's only going to get worse. This is one of the downsides of contracting, the other is you can just leave when a role becomes untenable. It's going to happen from time to time for one reason or another, crap work, face doesn't fit, conflict, work not as described, IR35 status in jeopardy etc. A decent contractor will put up for a bit IMO, you have got to expect it's tougher being a contractor than a perm but there is a point where it starts to make you miserable so it's time to go.

Has B told you outright your security clearance is no longer valid? Have you spoken to their security team to confirm? Your clearance should have been transfered to them from whoever held it last but it does expire if not used for a period. It also isn't always valid at all gigs. Police might not accept an MOD clearnance and so on. Speak to the client security team who will tell you teh status. If it has lapsed or is no langer valid then there is little point applying for SC gigs anymore. Very very few clients are willing to put contractors back through the process so it can be a very closed shop.

They confirmed to me 3 months into my role that the SC was inactive and just got me to sign a document to say I will not say anything about my work. Working within IR and previously was perm.

[northernladuk]

I have recently become a contractor and prior to that always kept away from work politics. I find myself in an unusual situation where I have become the centre of work politics at my new place and I am finding it very difficult to handle.

First 6 months I have come and and delivered work beyond anyone's expectations and a lot of promising feedback was coming my way.

1 more month on and a new delivery lead and an individual, vying for the role I currently hold, are colluding to push me to the sidelines. E.g keeping me out loop for conversations which I should be a part of for my work, pushing my tasks to this individual wanting my role, almost not speaking to me! It is stopping me from doing my job and is effectively making me look redundant.

Is this common or have I just been unlucky?

If permis are fighting for your role we assume you are inside then?

Can't blame the perms for trying to push the contractor out. That's understandable. I've been in a ton of roles where the analysts looking to move up the chain would like the role I'm doing but it's rarely a perm role anyway so it's not an option for them. Because of that I've never had situations where I'm being pressured to fight for my work. It's to be expected but you've fallen unlucky that they are actively pressuring you. Bound to happen from time to time though so just part of the game.

I'd say time to move on. It's only going to get worse. This is one of the downsides of contracting, the other is you can just leave when a role becomes untenable. It's going to happen from time to time for one reason or another, crap work, face doesn't fit, conflict, work not as described, IR35 status in jeopardy etc. A decent contractor will put up for a bit IMO, you have got to expect it's tougher being a contractor than a perm but there is a point where it starts to make you miserable so it's time to go.

Has B told you outright your security clearance is no longer valid? Have you spoken to their security team to confirm? Your clearance should have been transfered to them from whoever held it last but it does expire if not used for a period. It also isn't always valid at all gigs. Police might not accept an MOD clearnance and so on. Speak to the client security team who will tell you teh status. If it has lapsed or is no langer valid then there is little point applying for SC gigs anymore. Very very few clients are willing to put contractors back through the process so it can be a very closed shop.

[sadkingbilly]

He is, actually, at least for government and related clients. Revealing you have clearance is a breach of the OSA. You're not even supposed to wear your pass outside a secure area (yeah, I know, tell it to the many knobs around Whitehall).

Finance and the other commercials can do what they like.

my comment was on the bold bit.
he's pathologically incapable of 'don't post'

[vetran]

yeh, - right!

oh look from the horses mouth, not its ARSE

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