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Bait and Switch: From contract-to-perm to eternal contract!


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Back in early May I was hired on a contract basis by a telecom company who wanted to subcontract me to one of their clients as an IT project manager. The hiring person told me that it was her "full intent" to hire me permanently once I reached six months. I had to leave my permanent job to take this one, but since it was a good career move and more money, it seemed worth the sacrifice.

 

Here we are at nearly 7 months and I'm told that basically, it's up to my employer's client to offer me a permanent position or not. This was NEVER mentioned when I was hired. My would-be manager made it sound like I would become a permanent employee with her company, even if my services continued to be offered on a contract basis to their client.

 

Apparently that's not happening. So, I'm not going to get any health benefits through them and have to continue to pay ridiculous monthly premiums, do with no vacation, no sick days, no promotions, no career training, etc....

 

I'm just so damn livid. I left a permanent role with benefits to take this job, and she knew it. I feel cheated and resentful that they hired me under false pretenses. Not quite sure how to proceed.

 

Thoughts?

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So you're on an indefinite contract? Wow, this is a tough call. Did your last job not have any advancement opportunities? Sometimes it's better to stay at a job for less, because you have a guaranteed source of income permanently, whereas a contract position doesn't unless this is a huge company that will give your resume a big boost. I would start looking for permanent opportunities elsewhere while you are still in this contract position. I am assuming your state is at-will?

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I left my old job because my manager at the time flat out said that he expected me to stay in my current role for 2-3 years. I knew I could do better.

 

Then like a week after this, I was offered a position which was a HUGE jump in title... It would have been very difficult to get into the field otherwise, as I had no experience. It was supposed to be contract-to-hire after 6 months so the trade-off was worth it. It was not really a money issue because the increase in pay has mostly gone to cover the things I lost anyway (health insurance, vacation, sick days, etc).

 

Now it looks like I'll be staying on a contract basis indefinitely. It is still definitely a good experience because it IS a big-name company (a large bank in the northeast), and I still would not have been able to easily break into this field otherwise.

 

However, I am really pissed off that my boss misrepresented the job. And I cannot easily go and find a new job because as you might remember... I'm 30 weeks pregnant! I feel stuck ... I can't go find a new job, but I also won't have paid days off when I give birth.

 

It's just such a crappy situation...

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I left my old job because my manager at the time flat out said that he expected me to stay in my current role for 2-3 years. I knew I could do better.

 

Then like a week after this, I was offered a position which was a HUGE jump in title... It would have been very difficult to get into the field otherwise, as I had no experience. It was supposed to be contract-to-hire after 6 months so the trade-off was worth it. It was not really a money issue because the increase in pay has mostly gone to cover the things I lost anyway (health insurance, vacation, sick days, etc).

 

Now it looks like I'll be staying on a contract basis indefinitely. It is still definitely a good experience because it IS a big-name company (a large bank in the northeast), and I still would not have been able to easily break into this field otherwise.

 

However, I am really pissed off that my boss misrepresented the job. And I cannot easily go and find a new job because as you might remember... I'm 30 weeks pregnant! I feel stuck ... I can't go find a new job, but I also won't have paid days off when I give birth.

 

It's just such a crappy situation...

 

Yeah, I was just going over my terms at my new job and I didn't realize the FMLA (family medical leave act) entitles you up to 12 weeks off your job...unpaid. :eek: Of course I believe you get a certain amount of your paycheck from the government during that time, but it's a fraction of your regular pay, correct? I understand what you mean. My department manager wants a long term commitment in my role as well, which is fine. But if my salary doesn't go up a fair amount within a couple of years, I will be looking for another position within the company or another job. (I get paid decently for a new grad, but I also live in a high cost of living area, which means I still barely make ends meet) I do get a lot of perks at my job, so it is worth staying and getting some experience under my belt, although I'd like another role that is more focused on internet marketing rather than management.

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I completely empathize with you OP. Same thing happened to me when I accepted a temp-to-hire job six months ago. I was promised it would be a yearlong contract position with the possibility of becoming a permanent position. Well, when I asked my supervisor if she was going to hire me, she gave me the ol "we don't have the money in our budget at this time to hire you full-time with benefits." Turns out the company changed its hiring policy to only hire contract employees so that can avoid doling out health benefits. And, my temp assignment ended today, much to my surprise (not in a good way, either as now I'm back to square one looking for a job and stressing about money).

 

Congrats on your pregnancy. Although your maternity leave may not be paid, at least you'll have a job to return to when you're ready. And since you list Boston as your home, you can surely apply for state healthcare like Medical Assistance to help you with your medical visits during your pregnancy. Or have you done that already?

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I can't even afford to take maternity leave. I mean, I have a $1850/mo rent, who can really afford to do this in a city like Boston? The only way I could do it is if my SO made enough money to support us both. He doesn't... even with his new job.

 

Now that I've had some time to think about it, I'm going to just try and focus on the positives.

 

- It's invaluable experience in a field I couldn't get into otherwise

- It's a good company name to have on my resume

- They said they would allow me to work from home instead of maternity leave (assuming they don't go back on their word too!). At least, I'll be home and get to spend time with my daughter.

 

Becoming full time would've been nice, but well... it is what it is I suppose. Plenty of other things to be happy about, no? I am working on obtaining a prestigious certification in this field (taking test in Jan), and completing a Master's certificate which should be done by March. I am due Feb 5th. Once these two things are done and the baby is born and with this experience under my belt, I will be in a great position to find a new job in the same field.

 

So, for now... just deal with it, I suppose. Who knows, they might still change their mind during this time and hire me permanently... but I won't hold my breath.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Back in early May I was hired on a contract basis by a telecom company who wanted to subcontract me to one of their clients as an IT project manager. The hiring person told me that it was her "full intent" to hire me permanently once I reached six months. I had to leave my permanent job to take this one, but since it was a good career move and more money, it seemed worth the sacrifice.

 

Here we are at nearly 7 months and I'm told that basically, it's up to my employer's client to offer me a permanent position or not. This was NEVER mentioned when I was hired. My would-be manager made it sound like I would become a permanent employee with her company, even if my services continued to be offered on a contract basis to their client.

 

Apparently that's not happening. So, I'm not going to get any health benefits through them and have to continue to pay ridiculous monthly premiums, do with no vacation, no sick days, no promotions, no career training, etc....

 

I'm just so damn livid. I left a permanent role with benefits to take this job, and she knew it. I feel cheated and resentful that they hired me under false pretenses. Not quite sure how to proceed.

 

Thoughts?

 

I am in IT. Contract and contract to hire is the norm now. I do a lot of hiring, and, I have to do contract to hire, and I hate it. One of my good friends owns a IT contract company, so I see and hear the stories.

 

I did a contract to hire once myself, and after the 6 month period I got a lot of babble from the to be employer and the contracting coming. I gave it two more weeks, kept asking "when", same babble, so I started interviewing, and left. They were shocked as they said they had every intent to hire me. I said, sorry, times up.

 

I hate to say it, as a PM type, you are going to see a lot of this.

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I am in IT. Contract and contract to hire is the norm now. I do a lot of hiring, and, I have to do contract to hire, and I hate it. One of my good friends owns a IT contract company, so I see and hear the stories.

 

I did a contract to hire once myself, and after the 6 month period I got a lot of babble from the to be employer and the contracting coming. I gave it two more weeks, kept asking "when", same babble, so I started interviewing, and left. They were shocked as they said they had every intent to hire me. I said, sorry, times up.

 

I hate to say it, as a PM type, you are going to see a lot of this.

 

Are you an IT recruiter? If so, where did you start to get there? My husband is interested in being an IT recruiter.

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I am in IT. Contract and contract to hire is the norm now. I do a lot of hiring, and, I have to do contract to hire, and I hate it. One of my good friends owns a IT contract company, so I see and hear the stories.

 

I did a contract to hire once myself, and after the 6 month period I got a lot of babble from the to be employer and the contracting coming. I gave it two more weeks, kept asking "when", same babble, so I started interviewing, and left. They were shocked as they said they had every intent to hire me. I said, sorry, times up.

 

I hate to say it, as a PM type, you are going to see a lot of this.

 

Sad to say, I think this is spot on. I watched my sister stay as a "Temp to Hire" for nearly 5 years in a government county job. My cousin's wife was a "Temp to Hire" for 4 years in a private company. In both cases, they quit. There were never hired, and probably never will be.

 

My sister just got offered a full-time job after 10 months at her current "temp to hire" position, but it took a lot of work on the part of her manager. And, she was ready to leave this job as well.

 

I do think it is going to be a common thing. In my field (contract research organization) we have many contractors in certain positions. They don't normally join our organization full-time.

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Are you an IT recruiter? If so, where did you start to get there? My husband is interested in being an IT recruiter.

 

No, not a recruiter. I manage a team of software developers, cut my teeth in hands on coding years back.

 

I know a lot of recruiters though!

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Sad to say, I think this is spot on. I watched my sister stay as a "Temp to Hire" for nearly 5 years in a government county job. My cousin's wife was a "Temp to Hire" for 4 years in a private company. In both cases, they quit. There were never hired, and probably never will be.

 

My sister just got offered a full-time job after 10 months at her current "temp to hire" position, but it took a lot of work on the part of her manager. And, she was ready to leave this job as well.

 

I do think it is going to be a common thing. In my field (contract research organization) we have many contractors in certain positions. They don't normally join our organization full-time.

 

What bugs me, is I know I am missing out on great candidates when I have to post a position with these recruiters. My company will not do direct hires. All of my contract to hires, I convert them to an employee on the agreed date (you should see the smiles on their faces when I do!), but still, I wonder who we miss out on because it's a contract to hire posting and most folks want a direct hire.

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What bugs me, is I know I am missing out on great candidates when I have to post a position with these recruiters. My company will not do direct hires. All of my contract to hires, I convert them to an employee on the agreed date (you should see the smiles on their faces when I do!), but still, I wonder who we miss out on because it's a contract to hire posting and most folks want a direct hire.

 

I agree 100%. In my field there is a select group who want to stay as contractors; otherwise, most people definitely would prefer a direct hire. They will put their focus there and only go for contract-to-hire as a last step.

 

Yet, more and more, people have to go to that "last step". :(

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I literally just spent 6 months playing 'job hunter' for my SO. That is, submitting his resume to places, answering all his emails and scheduling his interviews. This was so he could continue working his old job (where he had no free time at all). We got him a long-term contract 2 months in, and then I kept looking but I would turn down anything that wasn't a direct hire role. It took us another 4 months to find such a role. He is in IT as well.

 

It's a tough market for our industry out there. There are TONS of jobs, but very few are direct hire, and the ones that are, often have unrealistic expectations given the pay they are offering.

 

As a result, I dealt with dozens of recruiters during this time. It's not a job I would ever want. The turnover is stupidly high because of the high stress and mediocre pay. You have to be somewhat technical to understand what you're recruiting for, but also have sharp people skills. These two things don't usually go together ...

 

Anyway... as for my situation, no changes. I still feel really angry. My manager is the most patronizing person I've ever worked for. I'm an experienced professional and she talks down to me like I'm stupid. That's on the rare occasion that we do talk, because she seldom responds to emails or phone calls.

 

I've decided I'm just going to get my Master's certificate finished, my PMP certification, and then bail on this stupid contract. That will be right around the time I "return" to the office after giving birth, in May.

 

I'm supposed to talk to the manager I'm contracted out to by my company next week to discuss the details of my "leave". I am going to ask him to work from home during the 2 months following the birth of my daughter, instead of taking a real maternity leave. My thinking is that he will probably accept this arrangement, as finding a replacement for me might be more difficult. Honestly, this is pretty much the only incentive I have to stay at this job. Working from home and being able to spend time with my daughter after birth is an ideal arrangement.

 

We'll see how things go next week. If, for whatever reason, he rejects my work-from-home proposition, I will most likely just take the unpaid leave and milk every minute of it, then start looking for a new job. I've talked to my SO and he thinks we can manage financially for a few months...

 

In the meantime, I'm busting my ass preparing for my certification test next month. I think that's my best shot at getting out of here :/

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There are 2 recruiters I know well, who, when they contact me about an opportunity for me, I will listen. They know me well. Otherwise I delete the emails from all the others and hang up on all the phone calls I get from recruiters, politely of course. I am not looking, though if 1 of the 2 calls me, it's usually something worth listening to.

 

Maybe build a relationship with 1-2 recruiters you can really trust, discard all the other fly by night ones.

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I wonder who we miss out on because it's a contract to hire posting and most folks want a direct hire.

 

There's great truth to this. Truly valuable candidates won't even consider the contracts, because they know they can do better than that. They will just wait for the right opportunity to come along.

 

Granted, in this economy, that's less true than it used to be... but in big cities with tons of IT jobs, it still holds true. I turned down contracts for my SO for a good 4 months, and still managed to get him a couple of interviews every week for permanent roles. He ended up taking a straight-hire offer 10 minutes down the street (you know the value of that if you know what Boston is like), at the top of his salary range, with benefits and tons of paid vacation.

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Funny story.

 

The recruiting company I have to use when I need to hire someone, to this day will call or email me with "an opportunity" for me. I have to remind them everytime "I am your customer" every time. They quickly apologize and say they will remove me from their database.

 

They actually called someone on my team recently too, and, we got him, from them!

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Funny story.

 

The recruiting company I have to use when I need to hire someone, to this day will call or email me with "an opportunity" for me. I have to remind them everytime "I am your customer" every time. They quickly apologize and say they will remove me from their database.

 

They actually called someone on my team recently too, and, we got him, from them!

 

Oh yeah, some recruiters are just scatterbrained.

 

Here's another funny story of how I got my current job:

 

Recruiter called me to my WORK phone because he wanted to talk to me about a job that would be perfect for me. I kid you not. Me, being pissed off that day with management, I politely thanked him for his call, gave him my work email address and told him to email me some information.

 

Once I hung up, my coworker asked me who it was. I just played it off like it was a salesperson for some product we use. He emailed me 2 minutes later, and I responded from my personal email address.

 

The recruiter practically offered me the job via email on his first email, because I fit the requirements exceedingly well. I eventually accepted... However:

 

- He found me on LinkedIn and researched my company to find out my contact info

- He never checked my references.

- He tried to get me to accept a lower pay rate than I had originally agreed to

- He kept telling me I would be hired permanently after 3 months, when the actual boss said 6 months.

- I had no experience whatsoever as a Project Manager. He wanted me because I spoke the foreign language required, and I had a ton of IT experience.

 

Most. Unethical. Recruiter... EVER. I'm still baffled to this day about how brazen this dude was.

 

But nevertheless, it got me into a field that would've been practically impossible for me to get into otherwise. That's why I accepted it despite how shady the whole thing was :p

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Oh yeah, some recruiters are just scatterbrained.

 

Here's another funny story of how I got my current job:

 

Recruiter called me to my WORK phone because he wanted to talk to me about a job that would be perfect for me. I kid you not. Me, being pissed off that day with management, I politely thanked him for his call, gave him my work email address and told him to email me some information.

 

Once I hung up, my coworker asked me who it was. I just played it off like it was a salesperson for some product we use. He emailed me 2 minutes later, and I responded from my personal email address.

 

The recruiter practically offered me the job via email on his first email, because I fit the requirements exceedingly well. I eventually accepted... However:

 

- He found me on LinkedIn and researched my company to find out my contact info

- He never checked my references.

- He tried to get me to accept a lower pay rate than I had originally agreed to

- He kept telling me I would be hired permanently after 3 months, when the actual boss said 6 months.

- I had no experience whatsoever as a Project Manager. He wanted me because I spoke the foreign language required, and I had a ton of IT experience.

 

Most. Unethical. Recruiter... EVER. I'm still baffled to this day about how brazen this dude was.

 

But nevertheless, it got me into a field that would've been practically impossible for me to get into otherwise. That's why I accepted it despite how shady the whole thing was :p

 

They call me at work too. I politely tell them "I'm at work, thank you for the consideration, good bye"

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In other news... I've just tried calling my boss three times today. The receptionist told me she was busy every single time.

 

Nevermind the fact that she told my recruiter that she would talk to me about becoming permanent... two weeks ago, when I first raised the subject.

 

Nevermind the fact that that we have a reocurring call every damn Friday, and I always have to chase her down to get the information I need to report.

 

I'm just so sick of this.

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UpwardForward

Arabella, Even if you weren't new with the company, imo being pregnant does not make you in a bargaining position for becoming 'permanent'.

 

It seems at this time the best you could hope for would be their offer to allow you to work from home.

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Arabella, Even if you weren't new with the company, imo being pregnant does not make you in a bargaining position for becoming 'permanent'.

 

It seems at this time the best you could hope for would be their offer to allow you to work from home.

 

Well, I wasn't pregnant when I became employed with the company, and that is when the promise was made. When I told them about my pregnancy, they were so fake-happy and told me not to worry and we'd make it all work out.

 

I've been working my butt off, never miss a work day and schedule all my doctor appointments after work. I don't even take lunch!

 

I do feel like my pregnancy is becoming a factor to them after all!

 

But I won't be pregnant forever. My daughter is going to be born in February and my market value is about to shoot up considerably when I get my certification all finished in January.

 

I've stopped caring whether they make me permanent or not because I've already made up my mind to leave, but I still care about the attitude my boss is giving me. :/

 

She works at the main office several states away, and I work at our client's site in my city. The manager here treats me like a contractor of course, and hardly if ever talks to me. Maybe like once a week in passing. All he cares about is that **** gets taken care of and he doesn't get disturbed.

 

My boss talks to me even less than the client does, and when she does, I always feel like she's suspicious that I'm slacking off or whatever. I manage a handful of projects for her, and three times as many for the client! She doesn't see or understand the work I actually do... and when I tell her I was busy and couldn't attend a conference call, she actually has the nerve to ask what was I doing, with a snotty tone. WTF.

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Well, I wasn't pregnant when I became employed with the company, and that is when the promise was made. When I told them about my pregnancy, they were so fake-happy and told me not to worry and we'd make it all work out.

 

I've been working my butt off, never miss a work day and schedule all my doctor appointments after work. I don't even take lunch!

 

I do feel like my pregnancy is becoming a factor to them after all!

 

But I won't be pregnant forever. My daughter is going to be born in February and my market value is about to shoot up considerably when I get my certification all finished in January.

 

I've stopped caring whether they make me permanent or not because I've already made up my mind to leave, but I still care about the attitude my boss is giving me. :/

 

She works at the main office several states away, and I work at our client's site in my city. The manager here treats me like a contractor of course, and hardly if ever talks to me. Maybe like once a week in passing. All he cares about is that **** gets taken care of and he doesn't get disturbed.

 

My boss talks to me even less than the client does, and when she does, I always feel like she's suspicious that I'm slacking off or whatever. I manage a handful of projects for her, and three times as many for the client! She doesn't see or understand the work I actually do... and when I tell her I was busy and couldn't attend a conference call, she actually has the nerve to ask what was I doing, with a snotty tone. WTF.

 

I think there is some truth to what Upward said. A lot of people will start using their kids as an excuse to leave early, expect special treatment etc. A lot of these people will expect more leniency, additional time off and expect the same pay. Of course I don't think you will do that, but pregnancy discrimination does exist. :( They might be putting off making you permanent to see how you do after the baby is born? Although since most places are at-will, there shouldn't be any issue with making you permanent either way. They still have the right to terminate at any time. My husband is also having a hard time finding something other than contract....luckily he works at night, so he can still keep his permanent part time job if the contract were to end, so he wouldn't entirely be out of work. Although he much prefers to find permanent full time right away.

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Well, I don't have to worry about any of this anymore!

 

I got a call from the recruiter after 5 pm, and I immediately knew what it was about.

 

The client did not renew the contract for this month. They're apparently out of budget for the year. So, that means yesterday was my last day.

 

My SO and and I decided I will not try to look for work right now. I mean, what's the point? We all know nobody's going to hire me pregnant of 7 months. I'm going to just focus on passing my certification exam for the next month, and then start looking for a new job a couple of months after our daughter is born.

 

I feel so relieved. This job was sucking the life out of me.

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UpwardForward

Being 7 mos. pregnant, you shouldn't have had to carry all this burden.

 

But perhaps in a last minute attempt to keep the door open, you could let all involved know of your availability to work from home, should they need you for other projects. This might provide extra income, while making it easier for you and your daughter.

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Being 7 mos. pregnant, you shouldn't have had to carry all this burden.

 

But perhaps in a last minute attempt to keep the door open, you could let all involved know of your availability to work from home, should they need you for other projects. This might provide extra income, while making it easier for you and your daughter.

 

That's exactly what I'm thinking.

 

I'm going to email the client directly and let them know that come January, if they need me to work from home or even part-time, I would be available to do so.

 

If they don't ever ask me to, that's okay as well. Considering my SO's income, our savings, and what I'll get for unemployment, we'll be just fine.

 

This was pretty good timing. We're about to get our apartment lease renewal and have to make a decision before Jan. This makes the decision simpler... we're going to look for another apartment that's a little cheaper and closer to his parents, so they can take care of our daughter when I decide to go find a job again.

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