Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)
  • Contractors – an ethics question
  • IHN
    Full Member

    I’m a contractor. One of the other contractors I work with is, in my (and not only my) opinion, useless. However, due to a huge turnover in management (I’ve reported to six different people in six months) this has gone unnoticed by the powers that be.

    His contract will be up for renewal soon. If he stays on, he’ll doubtless continue to be useless, and the rest of us will continue to pick up the slack/flack.

    Do I suggest to the (current) manager that his contract is not renewed and they get someone else?

    mikewsmith
    Free Member

    your a contractor, you get paid to achieve a task not be part of a team unless you are a disguised employee and flouting the IR35 game 😉 careful what you say.
    Whats your score? http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ir35/guidance.pdf

    geoffj
    Full Member

    your a contractor, you get paid to achieve a task not be part of a team

    Unlikely

    If the work you are doing is different to the work you are being contracted to do then you need a discussion with your boss and where necessary renegotiate your terms accordingly. There is no mileage in commenting on other contractors performance IME.

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    binners
    Full Member

    Surely the one massive major benefit of freelancing/contracting is that you don’t have to give a flying **** about all this kind of nonsense?

    mudshark
    Free Member

    Why do you pick up his slack?

    At most I’d drop subtle hints but never have said anything.

    nickjb
    Free Member

    he’ll doubtless continue to be useless, and the rest of us will continue to pick up the slack

    … and get paid for it. Is that the ethical dilemma? If he stays you get more money, if goes the company get more work for its money. TBH I’d mention it but not push the point

    toby1
    Full Member

    Sounds like he is accurately fulfilling the role of ‘contractor’ and you are the one doing it wrong!

    😉

    AlasdairMc
    Full Member

    It’s not about ethics at all. It’s about whether you want to be seen as the whiney one or the one who comes in, does the job, earns the day rate and then leaves with no trouble.

    Contractors bitching about contractors only shows them in a bad light – it’s for the permies to do the bitching about the exorbitant day rates, blah blah blah. If you must raise the issue, get a permie to do the talking for you.

    allthepies
    Free Member

    Head down and keep invoicing 🙂

    cbmotorsport
    Free Member

    Chances are the contract will run on longer if one of the team isn’t doing their fair share. That’s good news for you right?

    The last thing you want is some maverick replacing him, and turning a 1 year contract into 8 months work.

    binners
    Full Member

    You’ve really not got the hang of this contracting lark yet, have you mate? I hope the (jaded, cynical) replies you’ve received on this thread thus far help you adjust your attitude accordingly.

    Ultimately you’ll be a lot happier 😉

    marcus
    Free Member

    Only if you can put the cv of a more suitable person on the table at the same time, whilst obviously charging an introductory fee / percentage

    neilco
    Free Member

    I’m a contractor filling a somewhat strategic position in a decent sized company. I have 12 functional reports, half staff and half contractors. The staff are absolutely useless, I mean, really, really bad. I’ve never seen worse. Lousy skills and awful attitude. I commented this to my boss a number of times before eventually being told to wind my neck in…

    So, unless you want to be the messenger that gets shot, I’d keep quiet and keep invoicing.

    The-Beard
    Full Member
    WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    I am still pissing myself over the thread title!

    Why would you use contractors and ethics in the same sentence?

    ski
    Free Member

    Head down and keep invoicing

    This, chances are that the management already know what is going on.

    mudshark
    Free Member

    Why would you use contractors and ethics in the same sentence?

    We’re not estate agents!

    WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    I know you’re not estate agents, they have a code of conduct

    mudshark
    Free Member

    Maybe I’m lucky but every contractor I’ve worked with has been very professional. Small world I work in though so maybe that’s why.

    fanatic278
    Free Member

    The reality of life is that if you have to work with someone useless then you get fed up with it – contractors or not.

    I work for a company full of useless employees and am continually picking up the slack. It gets to the point I can’t do my own work as my main job is babysitting the idiots. After a year I’m fed up and am ending the contract to work somewhere with less idiots. I tried pointing out the deficiencies to management (did it today actually), but the world seems to be full of idiots, so this is all they can get.

    (I’m a contractor)

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)

The topic ‘Contractors – an ethics question’ is closed to new replies.