Over the last 25 years I have been working in IT, over that time I have been alternating between full-time jobs and Contract work. A large part of IT work is project work and because projects have an end it makes sense hire temporary workers until the project ends. I have been on projects that take years.

Background

The main advantage of contract work is that it supposed to pay substantially more than a full-time role, benefits on average add approx %15 to your salary so if your contact pays above that then it could be worth it. At one point prior to 2001 I was sometimes making %50 more, when 2001 bust hit rates plummeted, when things bounced back it became pretty clear that the fix was in. Rates were locked. Despite working across multiple sectors (insurance, banking, government) I have not had a real raise in rates in 20 years. I am now making similar to a full time job.

So I noticed in my first few years of contracting I noticed that there were 3 attitudes companies/HR/ work culture held towards contractors.

1. they are the hired gun brought in to save the townsfolk, they are revered experts who are respected and even held in awe by the company and employees. If that sounds funny, that's because it ended over 10 years ago.
2. they are treated like another employee, they don't have the benefits but otherwise, they are treated the same, you get invited to the company picnic and other social events, I recieved gifts and bonuses other employees have. I receive evaluations and they keep you around sometimes for years. This is now rare
3. today the way they treat contractors is just 2nd class, as one manager called us “warm bodies to throw at the project” you dont get invited to the company picnic or anything not directly related to your work (I dont care to actually go to the company events, its the attitude) they can fire you on a whim.

Contract from Hell

But this last contract I just escaped from really brought it home, just how shitty contracts can be, this was for one of the top financial Companies (lets call it Z inc ) in North America. Mind you, I was hired by a consulting firm (lets call it HAL) that had a large number of contractors on site, but my working manager was an employee of Z inc and I was found by a little agency so I was a sub/subcontractor here are some highlights:

• I was hired on a one year contract but when I was actually on the job, the contract with Z inc was renewed quarterly, ok fine as long as they renewed for a year? Looking at the project plan it would never go past 8 months.
• I was offered the job at the standard rate and then just before I was hired they said the client does not have the budget so they want you at a rate %20 less. Sorry about that, take it or leave it.
• the hiring agency had me do a a background check which included a credit check, sure no problem but a week after I started Z inc required another background check including credit check with no explanation. I have a quirk in my financial history that a very fussy employer once rejected me so I am always nervous about this.
• its now mandatory that you be incorporated, I had let an old company I had go dormant and close, so it cost me $400 to get one online, an accountant will charge you $1000. Some agencies would basically hire you, put you on the payroll, deduct taxes, pay unemployment insurance etc but almost all of them did away with this practice
• once you function as an incorporated then pretty much all labour laws no longer apply , which leads me to my next point
• most contracts pay monthly but because this was a sub/sub contract I was paid 45 days after the monthly bill to the client, So it took 70 days before I received my first pay cheque.
• and just to complete the picture, the actual job description (the agency tortured me to make sure my resume lined up with the job description ) had no bearing on the actual job. I was a managers lackey doing her bidding
• so just to recap the job description was a lie, the length of the contract was a lie, the pay rate was a bait and switch and my pay was held back 70 days, the background check was a joke. This is every part the hiring agency does and I eventually discovered this hiring agency cut my pay rate so they get a bigger cut, they marked me up %40

On the Job

• turns out the manager I reported to said I was now “the lead”, pay increase ? not a chance.
• I was the lead lackey, I couldn't fart without checking with her first. She would have me share my emails as I writing them so she could correct them, The irony here is that english was not her first language and she had me correct emails to being incorrect.
• she took credit for my work and would have me do things like send emails to everyone for stupid reasons so I would look bad. Other times when she thought it would look good on her she would write emails for things that were my responsibilites.
• I was the lead but I was not allowed to hold meetings or talk to certain managers without her.
• I was told that there was some flexibility with hours, ideally 8am-4pm but 8:30 -4:30 would be fine she said fine but then changed her mind 2 weeks later and made it 10 – 6 pm (I think she was just fucking with me, it made no sense)
• before starting I said I had booked vacation for a week, 2nd week of july, she said sure then about a month in said it could not be scheduled in.
• any over time is supposed to be pre-approved, if a client asks us to think of the daily rate as a salary and just do the work, work extra hours. Every agency I worked for in the past, won't stand for this, not this one. They called me up and asked why I clock out every day right at 6 ?
• there are up to 4- 6 hours of meetings every day, they ignore the time and I will have meetings from 10 – 2 making it impossible to have lunch
• early on the boss piled me with work and then ask why it wasnt done the next day, I would say I was in 6 hrs of meetings (the 2 hrs I had free was chopped up into 30 min pieces) but the boss implied I am supposed to do other work while in a meeting (they are on zoom, cameras off) or work as late as it takes to get it done.

I could go on, I was only in this job for 3 months.