Re: What can we do? (was: Contract vs. Full time)

[Ken d'Albenas <kendal -at- AUTOTROL -dot- CUC -dot- AB -dot- CA>]

Steve Fouts <sfouts -at- ellison -dot- ti -dot- com> asks:

>  . . . So lets see, no benefits, no training costs, low turnover but you
>  can fire 'em whenever you want without having to give 'em severance pay,
>  and you don't even have to call it a reduction in force so your stock
>  stays strong.. . .

>  What can we do?

A big part of the problem seems to be that many contractors are working
for peanuts.  (Note: I said "many," not "all."  I only know what I've
seen.)  Their mind set is analogous to a kid earning spending
money by shovelling snow or cutting lawns.  They aren't paying themselves
what they're worth as adult, real-world workers.  They don't charge enough
to realistically cover administrative time, a good package of benefits,
down time, equipment, training, etc.

Then there's competition.  I think the potential client always benefits
from the existing "divide and conquer" scenario, which exerts strong
downward pressure on tech writers' respect and wages.

Finally, what about those among us who do the hiring?  Let's see a
show of hands: whether you're a contractor interviewing a subcontractor,
or a permanent manager hiring an employee (or contractor), do you
try to lowball the candidate?  Or do you try to get as much money and
as good working conditions as possible for the person?




Ken d'Albenas
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Replies to: kendal -at- autotrol -dot- cuc -dot- ab -dot- ca
Flames to:  kendal@/dev/null

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