Get Back On Track
My roommate Aaron is back in town for a bit. Last week he was on his way to catch the ferries he commutes on to get from Denman Island to Vancouver Island, then to the British Columbia mainland. He got a call that his contract was not being renewed. For his last contract he didn't get notice until he came to the office.
This is actually pretty good for Microsoft, which from the experience of myself and the contractors I know fair notification is rarely used. What do you think Microsoft would do if you left without notice? I learned to start looking for work when my contracts were extended. They typically do that just before a budget meeting to be sure you're available, then go to the budget meeting, and if they don't get the budget they'd hoped for contractors are summarily dismissed the next day until budget is found.
The one time I left Microsoft for a better opportunity -- a contract for twice the hourly rate -- I gave three weeks notice to be sure there'd be time for a pass down, and I had to negotiate with my new employer to do that. The longest notice Microsoft has ever given me is 2 days, though in that case my manager agreed to let me stretch the remaining billable hours over another couple days. I told Mike I really wanted to work the following Tuesday and Wednesday, so my contracting house which was taking well over half of the billing rate for overhead would not get out of my paid holiday for Labor Day. He told me to go for it.
The special situation which started during my last few contracts was the Accenture extortion machine. I even had one contract where I worked for Solutions IQ (a bit better ethics than average), on a vendor project for Accenture, at Microsoft. I called myself a whore once removed, since I had significant overhead taken by both contracting houses. Like I was paying a pimp, who was working another pimp's territory who also demanded a cut. You see, the hiring manager wanted me but was afraid to offend Accenture so I was hired indirectly for the contract.
Accenture used to be Andersen Consulting, but once Mr. Andersen got himself indicted they thought it best to change their name to obfuscate that bit of their history -- their story is different if you check the link. The name is about all that changed.
Steve Ballmer happens to be a bigshot at Accenture. There was a perception among managers he was also a major shareholder, and Accenture must be given preference, unless they wanted to be on Ballmer's bad side. I don't believe it was the case then or now, but some Accenture folks darkly hinted at it, and hiring managers decided discretion (favoritism) was the best course. While it most probably is not true, it was perceived as true, which gave Accenture massive leverage in getting better billing rates from Microsoft while jacking the overhead way up on the contractors. In effect allowing further gouging of both Microsoft and the contractors. I've not contracted at Microsoft for a couple years, but it sounds like this perception is growing.
Well, let me jump off this tangent. Aaron is back in town for a bit, and I just ordered his Christmas present. One of those things you would rarely if ever get for yourself, but would love t enjoy. New York bagels. You've got to order a lot to reduce the shipping to only 50%, so I did. I got four dozen, 6 each of eight different kinds, a slicer, and several spreads. I'll share a few with friends at work, and leave the rest for Aaron. Well, he'll have first choice, as many will go into the freezer while they are still fresh. He's from Massachusetts, and grouses occasionally about not being able to find a decent bagel out here. Well, I've had one of these before, and they are good.
Aaron, told me he was bringing a guest with him, which I'm guessing is Sonya his wife. It will be fun to see her again, though sadly she can't eat wheat so I'll have to remember the great gift idea I had for her in the last couple days. I can picture myself thinking about it, the time of day, where I was, but not the actual freaking idea. Maybe it wasn't as good as I thought.
This is actually pretty good for Microsoft, which from the experience of myself and the contractors I know fair notification is rarely used. What do you think Microsoft would do if you left without notice? I learned to start looking for work when my contracts were extended. They typically do that just before a budget meeting to be sure you're available, then go to the budget meeting, and if they don't get the budget they'd hoped for contractors are summarily dismissed the next day until budget is found.
The one time I left Microsoft for a better opportunity -- a contract for twice the hourly rate -- I gave three weeks notice to be sure there'd be time for a pass down, and I had to negotiate with my new employer to do that. The longest notice Microsoft has ever given me is 2 days, though in that case my manager agreed to let me stretch the remaining billable hours over another couple days. I told Mike I really wanted to work the following Tuesday and Wednesday, so my contracting house which was taking well over half of the billing rate for overhead would not get out of my paid holiday for Labor Day. He told me to go for it.
The special situation which started during my last few contracts was the Accenture extortion machine. I even had one contract where I worked for Solutions IQ (a bit better ethics than average), on a vendor project for Accenture, at Microsoft. I called myself a whore once removed, since I had significant overhead taken by both contracting houses. Like I was paying a pimp, who was working another pimp's territory who also demanded a cut. You see, the hiring manager wanted me but was afraid to offend Accenture so I was hired indirectly for the contract.
Accenture used to be Andersen Consulting, but once Mr. Andersen got himself indicted they thought it best to change their name to obfuscate that bit of their history -- their story is different if you check the link. The name is about all that changed.
Steve Ballmer happens to be a bigshot at Accenture. There was a perception among managers he was also a major shareholder, and Accenture must be given preference, unless they wanted to be on Ballmer's bad side. I don't believe it was the case then or now, but some Accenture folks darkly hinted at it, and hiring managers decided discretion (favoritism) was the best course. While it most probably is not true, it was perceived as true, which gave Accenture massive leverage in getting better billing rates from Microsoft while jacking the overhead way up on the contractors. In effect allowing further gouging of both Microsoft and the contractors. I've not contracted at Microsoft for a couple years, but it sounds like this perception is growing.
Well, let me jump off this tangent. Aaron is back in town for a bit, and I just ordered his Christmas present. One of those things you would rarely if ever get for yourself, but would love t enjoy. New York bagels. You've got to order a lot to reduce the shipping to only 50%, so I did. I got four dozen, 6 each of eight different kinds, a slicer, and several spreads. I'll share a few with friends at work, and leave the rest for Aaron. Well, he'll have first choice, as many will go into the freezer while they are still fresh. He's from Massachusetts, and grouses occasionally about not being able to find a decent bagel out here. Well, I've had one of these before, and they are good.
Aaron, told me he was bringing a guest with him, which I'm guessing is Sonya his wife. It will be fun to see her again, though sadly she can't eat wheat so I'll have to remember the great gift idea I had for her in the last couple days. I can picture myself thinking about it, the time of day, where I was, but not the actual freaking idea. Maybe it wasn't as good as I thought.
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