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by jeff_petersen
3291 days ago
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> Contractors never say no. It's not their fault. They're not paid to say no. I'm a contractor, working for a consulting firm, and we say no all the time. Sometimes it's not a hard no, but more of a gentle nudge in a better direction. But we often advise our clients away from certain requests because that's what we're paid for. We're the experts and they value our expertise, that's why they hired us. I know for a fact that what you describe exists, because about a quarter of our jobs involve cleaning up after someone like that, but I wouldn't say it's a feature of contractors in general but of cheap contractors. |
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A consulting firm, at least, a good one, cares about reputation. There's also a huge level of buy in from the business. You said it, -you're the expert-. That's a fact the business hiring you recognizes, and is why they're paying consulting fees. So yes, you're empowered to say no.
A standalone contractor, however, was not hired for his/her expertise, but to instead be slotted in to an existing project to churn out features, or fix things. The company hiring them has invested far less, sought out far less, stands to both gain and lose far less if things sour, and will have no qualms terminating them if so inclined.
I've seen it firsthand, over and over again. Contractors are second class citizens to employees. But employees are second class citizens to consultants.