Working IT not so bad...

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AfterBurners

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it gives me money for rockets:lol: I think what I like about this project is of course the guys I work with. The three of us are contractors working for IBM, but at the client location we don't have to deal with an IT Manager and all the micro management that goes with it. We work together as a team and we always have each others back.

Say one of us wants to bail out a little early say 15-20 minutes because the work is done, we'll we just cover by saying such and such is downstairs working on a system or in the server room etc. It's job's like these that are hard to come by, knowing the people in your group aren't going to throw you under the bus. Makes a difference going to work. In IT no one really is your boss. We have the say more or less when things get done.

Anyway its suppose to last 5 years, but who knows. I do know as a contractor you are very disposable.
 
Say one of us wants to bail out a little early say 15-20 minutes because the work is done, we'll we just cover by saying such and such is downstairs working on a system or in the server room etc. It's job's like these that are hard to come by, knowing the people in your group aren't going to throw you under the bus. . . . I do know as a contractor you are very disposable.

For the sake of yourself and your co-workers, be careful. I have played all three roles: The contractor, the vendor, and the client. There are some clients who will seize upon the slightest misstep (so-and-so has been leaving early, etc.) to raise Hell with the vendor in an attempt to get concessions so he can make himself look good to his boss. Heck, they may do this for completely imaginary issues. I have had clients like this and I hate their sneaky, crooked guts.

Your employer's business with the client is worth a lot more than what you're being paid, so while your co-workers may have your back, your employer might or might not. Sometimes the vendor's management sees thru these games and calls the bluff (knowing that the client can't realistically switch vendors without a lot of costs and delays), sometimes they are pushovers and fall all over themselves to make the clients happy.

As you noted yourself, contractors are very disposable. Protect your own reputation and be a professional at all times.
 
For the sake of yourself and your co-workers, be careful. I have played all three roles: The contractor, the vendor, and the client. There are some clients who will seize upon the slightest misstep (so-and-so has been leaving early, etc.) to raise Hell with the vendor in an attempt to get concessions so he can make himself look good to his boss. Heck, they may do this for completely imaginary issues. I have had clients like this and I hate their sneaky, crooked guts.

Your employer's business with the client is worth a lot more than what you're being paid, so while your co-workers may have your back, your employer might or might not. Sometimes the vendor's management sees thru these games and calls the bluff (knowing that the client can't realistically switch vendors without a lot of costs and delays), sometimes they are pushovers and fall all over themselves to make the clients happy.

As you noted yourself, contractors are very disposable. Protect your own reputation and be a professional at all times.

I have to second this- Been in those roles myself. Be careful- they are watching.
 
You both are right, sometimes it seems pointless just hanging out but I guess that's the way it is. The only real logical excuse is say I took a 30 minute lunch, but still no reason to abuse it. I'll play it cool and by the rules. Sometimes you think its no big deal, but it is to someone else. It also takes someone else to remind you...

It stops now...Thanks again guys!
 
And you never know what irritates the bosses. I knew a guy that worked long hours, did a great job and was an expert on stuff nobody else could do. And his last performance review had the comment... "Joe does the work of 5 people, but he could do more..." He got a 0% performance bonus and the rest of us got 3% or so. He was deservedly upset. I never did find out what the boss wanted from him.
 
And you never know what irritates the bosses. I knew a guy that worked long hours, did a great job and was an expert on stuff nobody else could do. And his last performance review had the comment... "Joe does the work of 5 people, but he could do more..." He got a 0% performance bonus and the rest of us got 3% or so. He was deservedly upset. I never did find out what the boss wanted from him.

What can you say to that idiot doing the review? It is amazing to me sometimes just how oblivious people can be to reality. I think people who do IT should review others who do IT- this makes sense as others do not really get what we do.
 
I think CS Lewis said something like, "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching."
 
What can you say to that idiot doing the review? It is amazing to me sometimes just how oblivious people can be to reality. I think people who do IT should review others who do IT- this makes sense as others do not really get what we do.
360 reviews take a lot of work and commitment from your VP/director, but boy howdy they surely grind out the least unfair results I've seen.
 
For me doing IT it's OK seriously, I guess what I'm trying to say is sometimes it can be very lax'ed if you know what I mean? It's a different environment when you have a IT manager then if you don't. In my original post I think really what I was trying to get across is yes I shouldn't leave 10-15 minutes early, but why stay around when all the work is done? It's just the rules I know...I always hated when people say you need to look busy...well I was busy all day and I got all my work done. All my tickets are closed and issues resolved and I took a half hour lunch instead of an hour....so that should balance out 15 minutes.
 
For me doing IT it's OK seriously, I guess what I'm trying to say is sometimes it can be very lax'ed if you know what I mean? It's a different environment when you have a IT manager then if you don't. In my original post I think really what I was trying to get across is yes I shouldn't leave 10-15 minutes early, but why stay around when all the work is done? It's just the rules I know...I always hated when people say you need to look busy...well I was busy all day and I got all my work done. All my tickets are closed and issues resolved and I took a half hour lunch instead of an hour....so that should balance out 15 minutes.

I agree with you in principle, but I will also tell you that I have had to protect my own staff from unfair accusations about "not spending enough time in the office", "being quirky because they talk to themselves", and all manner of other silliness even though these are high-performers. Imaginary issues sometimes become real, unfortunately.
 
For me doing IT it's OK seriously, I guess what I'm trying to say is sometimes it can be very lax'ed if you know what I mean? It's a different environment when you have a IT manager then if you don't. In my original post I think really what I was trying to get across is yes I shouldn't leave 10-15 minutes early, but why stay around when all the work is done? It's just the rules I know...I always hated when people say you need to look busy...well I was busy all day and I got all my work done. All my tickets are closed and issues resolved and I took a half hour lunch instead of an hour....so that should balance out 15 minutes.

I do not disagree in principle. It depends on you boss, the customer, and terms of the contract. If you can track that you have your tickets done, have your allotted time in, and everyone is ok with you leaving then great. The verification is the trick.
 
Gee I get paid for 40 hours each week, no matter if I work 45, 50, 55...

Al, that sounds familiar. I am salary. My typical day is 6am- 4pm. The guys I work with start and end later. There are days, occasionally, that allow me an 8 hour day. Conversely, there are those times when you are there until stuff is done- longest "day" in current job was about 28 hours straight.

One time I was involved in a conversion from Netware to NT. In testing all went well, but the reality was terrible. Me and another guy started on Friday evening, ran into massive trouble that we could not resolve, and had to restore the netware system. We just finished in time for them to be back up Monday morning. Other than a nap somewhere in the middle for a couple hours, I worked something like 56 hours. Now that sucks.
 
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