Reply to: Rules of contracting

[darmstadt]

Check the printers twice daily for useful information! Do not however under any circumstance remove it from said printer.

Don't print porn on the colour printer especially if it prints a banner page first

[EternalOptimist]

It's probbly not a good idea, at your leaving speech, to offer a box of roses to the girlies, a box of miniature heros to the boyos, and a fudge 'to those who arnt quite sure' whilst smiling at the gaylord who came out of the closet the week before

<cough>

[eek]

On the other hand try not to bounce out of the room skipping, whistling a happy tune and smiling when the PM explains that you won't have to go back to the toxic project at the end of the month...

Why not? Surely this is one of the real, real joys when you're a contractor?

[cojak]

Not sure what number we're on, but never ever start crying when you find out you're not getting renewed. I know of 2 people who actually did that, and one of them then proceeded to try to get every other contractor the boot to save their own skin. Result: No chance of them ever being asked back when there was more work.

Some people just aren't cut out to be contractors.

On the other hand try not to bounce out of the room skipping, whistling a happy tune and smiling when the PM explains that you won't have to go back to the toxic project at the end of the month...

[MarillionFan]

Not sure what number we're on, but never ever start crying when you find out you're not getting renewed. I know of 2 people who actually did that, and one of them then proceeded to try to get every other contractor the boot to save their own skin. Result: No chance of them ever being asked back when there was more work.

Some people just aren't cut out to be contractors.

Or crying when you do.

(Just thinking of Suity )

[eek]

#11.5.0.1 Hope that the client never learns from mistakes; you make money from their mistakes.

I really wished I could give you the end clients name. Lets just say you know it. It does however confirm

Your client is an idiot. At best they simply haven't revealed the reason yet.

[SneakySimon]

Permies

As MTT said. Never discuss money in front of permies.

Basically, just smile and invoice.

Too right - I worked for 9 months t'up North at a bank, I was the first contractor in the Northern office and none of the permies there knew of the concept of a contractor - they assumed I was a temp on minimum wage - I bit my lip from telling them....

[craig1]

Check the printers twice daily for useful information! Do not however under any circumstance remove it from said printer.

At one client, I shared a floor with some HR bods and they were utterly useless at picking up their print jobs. I genuinely did try to ignore everything I saw there but occasionally things got stuck in my print pile and I read them by accident. The most concerning one I found was a rant from a mid-ranking manager to the CIO about how humiliated he was getting no pay rise and an abysmal appraisal considering he'd been doing 18 hour days for six months fixing the dross delivered by the department's golden boys. I left it on the printer, next morning it was still there and getting a bit dog-eared from the amount of people who had obviously read it. I did the "honourable" thing and stuck it in an envelope to the guy with a post-it note on the front saying "Found on the HR printer". Lots of frothy-mouthed ranting that day across the IT and HR floors!

[Bunk]

Not sure what number we're on, but never ever start crying when you find out you're not getting renewed. I know of 2 people who actually did that, and one of them then proceeded to try to get every other contractor the boot to save their own skin. Result: No chance of them ever being asked back when there was more work.

Some people just aren't cut out to be contractors.

[Pondlife]

As MTT said. Never discuss money in front of permies.

Basically, just smile and invoice.

[Mich the Tester]

The worrying thing is that I had hoped that the end client had learnt from their mistakes.

#11.5.0.1 Hope that the client never learns from mistakes; you make money from their mistakes.

[eek]

Somewhere below invoice threatening.

The worrying thing is that I had hoped that the end client had learnt from their mistakes.

[northernladuk]

Check the printers twice daily for useful information! Do not however under any circumstance remove it from said printer.

[Bunk]

Doing that at the moment as its a corker of a bad decision because the PM doesn't want to annoy 1 person.

They company won't realise for a couple of years but when they do its a biggie. Where does life threatening and share price destroying fit in the risk matrix?

Somewhere below invoice threatening.

[Mich the Tester]

They company won't realise for a couple of years but when they do its a biggie. Where does life threatening and share price destroying fit in the risk matrix?

If they won't notice for a couple of years then nobody's bonus will be affected, so it isn't a risk.