Agent sleaze number 107

[Dominic Connor]

I teach ethics to bankers

It's part of a course I do occasional lectures on.

I use piss like this as a worked example:

You meet a girl in a pub.
She says "you're better looking than my boyfriend, I'll chuck him, he's tulip in bed anyway". She phones him, tells some lies about going out late with some female friends and then puts her arm around you.

Many of us would then quite happily then spend the evening back at our place discussing feminist poetry.

Few of us would see this as a prospect for a long term relationship, there may be some trust issues, even if we are better looking and wonderful in bed.

Same with a recruiter or anyone else you do business with.

If the transaction is finite and you don't need to trust them much,then their ethics don't have to be your problem.

But although a contract recruiter is unlikely to be your best man when you marry the girl you met in the bar, you are trusting him with non-trivial amounts of money.

As a pimp, I'm not going to try and claim some moral superiority that dictates you should not shaft your current client, I'm asking if you trust this creature with two months pay ?

[Doggy Styles]

thing is why care - more and more 'people' are seen as expendable commodities - you watch first thing any venture capitalist will do is get rid of half the workforce - forget the fact that some may have been loyal for 5-10-15 years and gone over and above what was required and deserve better.

But that hasn't been happening during the recession. Many firms were keeping people on wherever possible, even if it mean dropping wages because turnover was down. Unemployment didn't rise anything like what was expected.

It seems people on here are hyper-cynical for the sake of it.

[original PM]

I've read this twice and I'm still not sure - are you defending such behaviour by employees?

If so, doesn't it breed unprofessionalism, and moreover, the next generation of bad employers?

thing is why care - more and more 'people' are seen as expendable commodities - you watch first thing any venture capitalist will do is get rid of half the workforce - forget the fact that some may have been loyal for 5-10-15 years and gone over and above what was required and deserve better.

Business is now all about making as much money as possible for yourself and fck everyone else (has this allways been the case - you could argue yes).

So in essence we need to see ourseleves as businesses and take everyone for what we can get and fck everyone else

[Old Greg]

Agent: So we want to put you forward for this role but your availability is a problem.
Me: Well, as I said to your colleague I'm currently contracted till the end of December. I've committed to stay to the end of this project. This new role sounds great, and you'll have a hard time finding those niche skills, but if they can't wait two months then I'm not interested.
Agent: Well we can look at your current contract for you. There are always loopholes. Even if you are under contract they'll never sue if you leave early.
Me: ...
Agent: And you don't want to be looking for a new role round christmas. You'll find it hard to find anything at all.
Me: ...

It's depressing dealing with these kind of people.

Phone his boss and ask for a reference. Say that you need it double quick because he's agree to start work with you on Monday.

[Doggy Styles]

Exactly so. I've seen how my kids have been treated by employers. I used to think it was shocking that young people would take days off without phoning in sick, leave a job not by resigning but by stopping showing up, generally skive. Now I think that what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, i.e. treat people like tulip, expect to be treated like tulip.

I've read this twice and I'm still not sure - are you defending such behaviour by employees?

If so, doesn't it breed unprofessionalism, and moreover, the next generation of bad employers?

[Platypus]

unfortunately its an attitude that comes from many employers as well.

Exactly so. I've seen how my kids have been treated by employers. I used to think it was shocking that young people would take days off without phoning in sick, leave a job not by resigning but by stopping showing up, generally skive. Now I think that what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, i.e. treat people like tulip, expect to be treated like tulip.

[vetran]

I agree we do now live in age where morality, commitment and your word ain't worth jack tulip

if there is money to be made and the contract has a loop hole then it is done.

fck morals

unfortunately its an attitude that comes from many employers as well.

[MarillionFan]

WNLUKS

I've been asked before to jump - just say "No".

What Zammo says.

[Hairy]

WNLUKS

I've been asked before to jump - just say "How much".

FTFY

[SueEllen]

Unfortunately there are many contractors that will jump at the drop of a hat so unfortunately our community is the cause for this attitude. It isn't always the agents fault.

I don't see what you are moaning about here.

WNLUKS

I've been asked before to jump - just say "No".

[original PM]

I agree we do now live in age where morality, commitment and your word ain't worth jack tulip

if there is money to be made and the contract has a loop hole then it is done.

fck morals

[northernladuk]

Agent: So we want to put you forward for this role but your availability is a problem.
Me: Well, as I said to your colleague I'm currently contracted till the end of December. I've committed to stay to the end of this project. This new role sounds great, and you'll have a hard time finding those niche skills, but if they can't wait two months then I'm not interested.
Agent: Well we can look at your current contract for you. There are always loopholes. Even if you are under contract they'll never sue if you leave early.
Me: ...
Agent: And you don't want to be looking for a new role round christmas. You'll find it hard to find anything at all.
Me: ...

It's depressing dealing with these kind of people.

Unfortunately there are many contractors that will jump at the drop of a hat so unfortunately our community is the cause for this attitude. It isn't always the agents fault.

I don't see what you are moaning about here.

[MaryPoppins]

Don't let it get to you. Explaining that you have loyalty or a desire to see things through to the end will not really translate to that type of agent.

[DieScum]

Agent: So we want to put you forward for this role but your availability is a problem.
Me: Well, as I said to your colleague I'm currently contracted till the end of December. I've committed to stay to the end of this project. This new role sounds great, and you'll have a hard time finding those niche skills, but if they can't wait two months then I'm not interested.
Agent: Well we can look at your current contract for you. There are always loopholes. Even if you are under contract they'll never sue if you leave early.
Me: ...
Agent: And you don't want to be looking for a new role round christmas. You'll find it hard to find anything at all.
Me: ...

It's depressing dealing with these kind of people.