RE: Contracting where you used to work

["Carey Jennifer (Cry)" <jennifer -dot- carey -at- cdi -dot- cerberus -dot- ch>]

Your email reminded me very much of some of my own past experiences
contracting.  Over the years, I've come to believe that honesty is the best
policy in situations like these.  

If I were in your shoes (at least the ones I'm imagining, of course I don't
know your situation completely based on one email), I would go in and speak
to my boss about what you've said here.  I would point out the advantages on
their side of having long term employees (e.g. it takes time to really
understand a product and its relationship to other products, to learn the
corporate culture, etc.) and let them know that you want the same things.  

I wouldn't be afraid to ask outright if they are happy with the quality of
your work, if they have other projects that need to be worked on, if they
would ultimately like to have you as a long term employee. If they have a
doubt about or problem with you, it should come out at this point and you
will have 3 months to try to make things right.

If they say they are happy with you, I would be sure to let them know that
you're very unhappy with the current situation. I would point out all of the
disadvantages they are offering you and all of the benefits they are
receiving at your expense, and then point out that they essentially lied to
you and betrayed trust by changing terms at the last minute. Most companies
should understand that this is not a good foundation upon which to build a
positive long term relationship.  

Make them do right by you. If they won't and they don't have an acceptable
reason for this, I would quietly start looking for another job (you have
three months :) and give them the right amount of notice. But be sure to let
everyone know (i mean HR/doc team lead, etc, not necessarily the
secretaries) professionally and politely, why you made that decision before
you leave.

In the end, I think we have to set professional standards to which we hold
ourselves.  I try to be professional, reasonable and fair, and I expect the
same from the company I work for.  Otherwise, I look elsewhere. Easier said
than done when the market is weak, I know.

Just my opinion... good luck.


	-----Original Message-----
	From:	anonfwd -at- raycomm -dot- com [SMTP:anonfwd -at- raycomm -dot- com]
	Sent:	27 September 2001 13:47
	To:	TECHWR-L
	Subject:	FWD: Re: FWD: Contracting where you used to work


	Forwarded anonymously on request.
	^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

	I've been working for my current employers for nearly six months on
a
	temporary contract that was presented to me as a probationary period
- at
	the end of the six months, if they were satisfied with what I was
doing
	(and I was happy to stay) they were to make me permanent.

	Now contract renewal time is coming up. There's a dearth of
technical
	writing jobs in my area. And - on a somewhat flimsy reasoning - they
have
	refused to make me permanent, instead extending my temporary
contract for
	another three months. (I get paid holidays pro-rata, but no sick pay
or
	other benefits.) It seems to me that they get all the benefits of
having a
	permanent employee with few of the expenses, and I get all the
	inconveniences of being a contractor with none of the benefits.

	I was not able to negotiate a pay-rise: they have a firm rule that
	permanent employees are assessed for pay rises only once a year, and
I
	have not yet been here for six months and count as a permanent
employee
for payroll purposes.

Jennifer Carey, Technical Writer
Siemens Cerberus Dati
Milan, Italy


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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