Re: Mixed messages

Subject: Re: Mixed messages
From: Will Kelly <willk -at- TIAC -dot- NET>
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 19:38:01 -0200

Richard--

Sometimes you don't really know about an organization until you get inside.
Unfortunately, their are some contract house recruiters that tell you what
you want to hear. Plus often times they only know what the client tells
them about the environment.

Since jumping into contracting, I've learned contracting is not without its
share of politics and that placement firms are a really mixed lot, after
working in a marketplace for a while you can see who the bodyshops are and
the ones that truly treat their employees with respect. It takes time to
learn the streets.

Will

At 10:27 AM 1/28/98 -0800, Richard Farley wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I could use some objective input on an incident that I need closure on.
>

>The first morning on the assignment I met with my docs manager and was
>taken on a tour of the site, meeting everyone. The atmosphere was
>relaxed and very cordial. There were two other TWs on site, both full
>time employees of the placement agency that hired me. Both recent
>graduates and new to the business, but quite friendly and helpful (or so
>it seemed).
>
>My mgr. stressed the importance of asking question to prevent mistakes,
>since there was a series of crucial deadlines pending for the software
>docs. Over the years I have always made it my policy to respect each
>company's unique ways of doing business, and make it my goal to fit into
>that scheme, so asking questions is naturally agreeable for me.
>
>My first job was to import some screen captures into the Frame docs.
>After four hours of this it was discovered that the files contained
>outdated information and would have to be redone. That was put on hold
>and I was told to do some screen shots. When it was discovered that the
>computer at my desk needed to be reconfigured first, the mgr had me use
>her computer for the task. Eight hours later, this data was discovered
>to be out-dated and would have to be redone. Again, I was reassigned to
>another task. The next day I skipped breaks and lunch trying to make up
>for the delays. The fact that I was truly enjoying my work allowed me to
>face these course changes with a smile.
>
>By Wednesday morning things had changed. I was told by my mgr not to ask
>the other TWs questions because they didn't have the time to take from
>their work. Oddly enough I purposely made my questions to the TWs short
>and to the point, only to be treated to long discourses covering points
>that I was well aware of. I figured that they just needed to talk, so I
>let them share their experiences with me. Besides, the mgr was usually
>nowhere to be found, so I had to ask somebody in order to avoid the
>mistakes that I had been warned about.
>
>To make a long story short, I was let go on Thursday evening. I was told
>that they had managed to catch up and that there were no problems with
>my work. That seemed reasonable, but somehow suspicious considering the
>volume of work they still faced. That day, and for weeks afterwards I
>tried to contact the placement firm. All of my messages were ignored.
>Over the months since then I've seen regular adds for them needing TWs.
>I can't bring myself to answer them.
>
>My instincts tell me that the entire fiasco was blamed on me by a
>manager who couldn't admit that she couldn't manage, and hourly TWs who
>didn't like having a higher paid contractor around. I can only cringe at
>the thought of the stories that were relayed to the placement firm
>causing them to drop me like a leper.

>
>Has anyone else had similar experiences with placement firms? Does this
>happen frequently when contractors and full-timers are mixed? Is there
>any way, short of being a recluse, to avoid this in the future?
>
>Feel free to reply to me off list if you wish.
>
>
Will Kelly Technical Writer - Technical Editor - Consultant

mailto:willk -at- tiac -dot- net - http://www.tiac.net/users/willk




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