There seem to be a few morning/night owls around. I've been awake since 2am, which usually only happens if I'm fretting about a guitar-related purchasing decision. Sad, but true.
However this morning it's a bit more existential, if I can call it that. We got the news on Friday that a guy who has been contracting in our team for 5 years has been made permanent. All good so far, until you consider that he's doing the same sort of job as me so would have had to have taken a 50% cut in basic salary to be at the proper grade, i.e. earning a bit more than me but fair enough he is pretty good at his job. However that is unlikely, and he told someone else that his new permie role is a grade above me.
So firstly it's a new role in that case, but there was no vacancy otherwise I would have gone for it. A few in our team would have. Hmmm. We were told that there couldn't be any more of that grade in our team, unless a vacancy were created. Hmmm. So, no interview process and here he is, in a mystery role. This is where the uneven employer/employee relationship rears its head again, in the sense that they are trusting that we keep quiet because he's a good bloke and all that, bad for the company to rock the boat, and therefore bad for everyone. Stuff process.
So feeling quite unhappy at the moment. More resigned than angry but I am starting to feel more down than I ever have. I will bring it up with my manager, as will others on my grade. I'm interested to see whether this is really a new role also. He's been doing bog standard "senior network designer" work, to be principal you need to be doing extra and at a different level.
I am somewhat trapped, living as far West as anyone reasonably could while still working in the industry, but even if I have to commute further I really need to get my CV out there, maybe start applying for random stuff which doesn't quite fit. I'm 48 and feel like I have a limited time to change, before settling down, marking time and keeping schtum.
I could have this all wrong, and clarity will prevail in the next few days. I'm feeling more and more undervalued, being quiet by nature and unlikely to make noise for the sake of it. So I'm also frustrated that my manager isn't really doing his job, in the sense that he just seems to rely on people making noise, complaining, and getting on.
Hmmmm.
Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
My feedback thread is
here.
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My feedback thread is here.
Feedback
A lot of permanent staff misunderstand contractor rates, and although the headline figures look as if contractors get 100% more, it's typically 50%, and then also employees rarely consider the employer costs beyond what appears on the paypacket: Employers NIC can be very expensive, also holidays, sick pay, death in service benefit, health, etc.
Nevertheless, I can see why you are unhappy with how it's been done. It's one of my main objections to permanent roles: many employers do not treat their staff well.
On the role aspect, it sounds like the employer created the role for the person.
As far as contract rates vs. perm salary goes, the contractor doesn't get sick pay, paid holidays, pension, employers NI, free gym/etc. perks and so-on, along with overheads of running their business; this means that what can appear to be more money gross may not translate into more take-home net. (Of course, the contractor may choose not to pay into a pension and spend the money on a new beemer instead...)
On to the matter of the way employers treat their staff; there are few companies who genuinely give a rat's toss about their employees - harsh, but that's life.
My current employer is the worst I have ever worked for; the office environment is toxic with barely a week going by without someone having an argument about something! Pretty much all of the roles are professional consultant level, but HR seem to believe that they are there so crack the whip and control people, as opposed to helping them do their work and management is by telepathy.
There is a clique who engage in bullying (they sent me to coventry for a while!) and management turn a blind-eye to it. I would never go to HR with an issue if I had one, because I don't trust them.
The company changed its name last month and the first we knew about it was a memo on the Tuesday morning saying we had to be sure that we'd changed our suppliers billing by close of play that day!
The company let a contractor go last week and this week one of the salesmen; they then talk about issues with churn rates. Most people talk about when they leave, rather than if. I interviewed someone last week and it turned out it was for a role in my team that I didn't know about - there's only me and one other person do that and I don't think there's an increase in headcount.
I'm there because the work is interesting, but my patience has worn pretty thin, I have to say.
My feedback thread is here.
Enjoy your weekend and fuck work.
My feedback thread is here.
Besides, it's the weekend - your company don't own you, balls to them until Monday!
Only tomorrow is an idiotically-organised "jolly". These days we get vendors to sponsor such events, so it's a drive to their office, the morning is ours to be spoken at by various internal presenters, and then the vendor gets to put a few pitches and demos in the afternoon. Then the vendor is buying us dinner. Normally we'd have a hotel organised and then do some charity work the next day, but that's been cancelled so it's a sober bite to eat and make excuses as soon as the dessert is scoffed. Normally I'd skip dinner, but the office is off J10 of the M4 so we can either sneak out at 3 or sit tight til 7 or 8.
My feedback thread is here.
{
void documentation;
unsigned timesheets;
long lunches;
int hiring_him_again;
};
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
My feedback thread is here.
Filling a position at my work absolutely can't be done without advertising and doing interviews. We have to do everything by the book and it is fully auditable. This is a joke to be honest as we had to drag 4 people in for interview recently but the boss knew that he was giving the job to an internal candidate that had worked with us for a year.
Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
My feedback thread is here.
Come to think of it our current interviews tend to go as "You start tomorrow"
I've had at least one of those interviews where you just know from the off that you're pissing in the wind. Demoralising in the extreme.
I couldn’t sleep last night because of @Floof
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/115809/netflix-mindhunter-no-spoilers#latest
Went to bed at 12, 15 minutes to watch before sleep.
Turned it off at 3am