Yes, the inmates are in charge of the asylum

[Eireann]

I posted some time ago about the problems I've been having with a certain company where I do most of my work.

For those who don't know, I'm an independent contractor, and the lion's share of my work comes from a company here. Until fairly recently, it was a very laid-back place to work.

Until someone had the stupid idea to hire someone who would be "in charge" of the independent contractors. Keep in mind, we are NOT employees. We pay our own taxes and health insurance. We are paid job-by-job. (We are paid woefully behind any sensible schedule, might I add.)

Well, we had a great system, until somebody decided to fuck it all up by hiring the woman I call Control Freak. I've met her, and I don't have a personal problem with her (not yet, anyway), but I do have a HUGE professional problem with her. She sends us messages that waste our time in answering them, and they are thoroughly irrelevant to what we are doing. She comes up with these stupid rules and expects us to follow him. Not ONCE has she ever asked us how WE do it, how it's been done BEFORE, etc. No, no, no; we have to do it as SHE tells us to do it, despite the fact that this woman is a true marvel of ineptitude.

I met with her, and her superior, and their smiling, united front was, "We're in charge." I wouldn't be at all surprised if Control Freak's superior was the one who hired her, since it seems the two of them are good friends. In which case, if anyone ever pulls their head out of their ass and realizes that Control Freak is an unnecessary expense, they should fire her superior, too. They have two people who are doing (or not doing) a job that they don't even need to be done at all.

So, they don't listen to a goddamned thing, we have already complained about them to the upper management, but all that this achieved was for us to meet with the two women (or maybe they're the same person; it's hard to tell) to "discuss" changes that would be made. They don't give a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut if we're dissatisfied with the time-wasting activities Control Freak wants us to do (and, by the way, for the most part she's just parroting the instructions of her superior).

It's a pretty cushy situation for them; make up tightassed rules, get paid, and have the opportunity to do each other every day at noontime in an empty office. (No, I have no idea if they do this or even want to do it, but if they did, I have no doubt they'd get away with it.)

Gotta keep on truckin' and get the hell out of this place.

[RootedPhoenix]

How awful.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Ask to get paid by the hour.

[PhotoChick]

I would go about them (again) and tell your employers that you're worried that with these 2 micromanaging everything you guys are going to lose your independent contractor status and you don't want that for the company. Look up the laws in your state (or call the labor board) but in most places, if they require things done a certain way and at a certain time, you can no longer be considered an independent contractor.

[Kiwi]

K's boss (an architect) often recommends K for side jobs that are too small for their office. When he charges clients they get a certain charge per job (based on square footage) up to a certain amount of hours. For an example a 1000sq foot place would usually require 45 hours work and he basis his prices off that.

If they constantly require changes or piss him around then he reminds them in writing that their assigned hours are almost up and additional charges will be added if they keep wasting his time. He and his bosses have a rule that no more than 15% of their work will be from one business, that way they are not too dependant on one person for their income. Although that might not work depending on what you do.

If you are a freelance worker you need to try and branch out from just this one company. They don't need to know that you are not just working for them, but you should be trying to have a list of regular clients so if one businesses relationship beccomes unworkable anymore you have other revenue streams avaliable to you.

I would also insist that you are paid promptly and in an up to date manner, not paying contractors on time is simply bad business practice and it would make me suspicious about the longevity of the business you are dealing with. Think about it this way....

If you could choose to continue working with this company would you?
If the answer is no, get working on building up a bigger customer base and get the hell out of there because if you feel that way about them, how many of the people who are hiring them feel the same way?

[Eireann]

Yes, I am connected with other companies; the thing is that this one has cornered the market, and provides me with the most work. It used to be a much better place, but then the owner handed over management to a group of people who have their heads firmly up their asses. It's only costing the company unnecessary money to have these two working for them at all, especially if/when we all get so pissed off that we stop doing business with them entirely because we're sick of the micromanaging. But that's the sort of thing that The Powers That Be won't think about until it bites them where they live.

I have nothing against either of these two personally; professionally, it's a completely different matter.

As for the people who use this company to provide a service for them, most of them simply don't care; they know that it's a big name, and that's all that matters to them. The company made a bullshit decision some years ago that has cut down on the flow of work to us, and never reversed that decision, which probably leads to huge complaints from the clients, but we don't have to deal with that, fortunately for us.

I'm very tempted to continue complaining to the person in charge of these two incompetents, since there is simply no reason to have either of them "managing" us; we know what we're doing, we have a system that was in place long before either of them started working for the company, and we don't need them telling us what to do. That's what they do; rather than asking or suggesting, they just tell us.

Gotta put myself in position where, having secured myself a steady income elsewhere, I sit down and write a long, detailed letter to the person in charge of them, stating exactly why I will no longer be working for the company, being careful to add that I complained about the situation before, but nothing was done.

[scruff]

I'm a sub-contractor.
after having our fingers burnt a few times, we charge interest if we don't get paid within X date, and include in the project cost for Z number of meetings per contract, with the terms and conditions listing that extra meetings costing extra.

and for our worst client, we charge by time. every pointless email and response costs them.

[Dips]

I would go about them (again) and tell your employers that you're worried that with these 2 micromanaging everything you guys are going to lose your independent contractor status.

That's an excellent point.

An independent contractor is just that. Independent.

They want the cost advantages of having an independent contractor AND the control advantages of having an employee.

They can't have both.

It sounds like you know a lot of the other independent contractors who are working with (not *for*, WITH) this company.

I'd get together with others and have everyone start enforcing the terms of the contract en masse.

Does the contract dictate what the micromanager is telling you to do? No? Feel free to ignore her. You don't work *for* her. She's an employee of a client. You work *with* her. If they don't get that, advise them they need to hire you as an employee if they want to treat as one. Otherwise, they can deal with the fact that you are independent and doing the job as outlined in your contract in the way you feel best.

This is one situation where you should never give them permission to take advantage of you. Because they won't appreciate it.

As far as how their policies and procedures are going to hurt them? Not your problem or concern. You aren't their employee or a consultant hired by them to give them advice. You worry about YOU.

Whatever happens, best of luck.

[Eireann]

Dips, those are excellent points.

I've been working with this company for some time, and the atmosphere has gone from laid-back to increasingly tightassed.

Two of us have complained about Control Freak/Parrot (she just repeats everything her manager tells her). Nothing has been done. The state of affairs at this company is that, if you complain about something, you're fobbed off with excuses. Several independent contractors, one of whom is a friend of mine, refuse to do any work with them due to their poor payment discipline and low rates.

I might just have to wait a month or two, then make another complaint. I don't want to risk being blown off due to constant complaints, which is why I think it's best to wait a little.

We don't have a contract, which is just as well these days. I really don't care how hard karma bites their asses, though I must admit, I'd like to see it happen. And then laugh.

[Eireann]

So, I spoke with one of the other contractors today. She is of the opinion that we should complain monthly, and I think she's ready to follow up on it. She was wondering who the head of the whole shebang is - not the company, but this particular division.

She thinks the one in charge might be someone we both know, who started in a different department and worked up to a higher position. If she's right, then this person is the one we should contact. The head is a very responsible manager type who really listens to you and gets things done; she is also very approachable.

Here's hoping it works, because all of us have had it. If the head of the division is the person we think she is, I will be careful to point out how many people no longer work with the company due to various reasons, none of which had anything to do with Control Freak (who wasn't around in those days). The conditions are unsatisfactory enough even when you don't throw in Control Freak and her devoted manager.