[fatjokes]

Nobody. Trust nobody. It's sad, but it's true. They're your employer---not your friend, not your family.

The upside: you don't have to feel bad about being a mercenary about it. You can feel shameless in trying to negotiate higher pay (regardless of your performance or ability).

A permanent position is only good because it's effectively higher comp (i.e., benefits, severance, etc). Most programmers are at-will employed anyway so it's not that much different from contractors.

A union is also, in theory, a good thing. However, over time it's evolved into a different beast with its own set of problems.

[HumanDrivenDev]

> Nobody. Trust nobody. It's sad, but it's true. They're your employer---not your friend, not your family.

It's not sad to me. It's common sense. In life, you trust your family and your friends - that's it. Anyone who isn't family or friends and who wants you to trust them is suspect (your boss, other companies, your government).

Of course you can have friendly relations with all and sundry in your company. I am on good terms with everyone where I work, from the cleaners to the regional CEO. But trust is a different matter altogether.

[TheSpiceIsLife]

> In life, you trust your family and your friends

Should we believe that family and friends are beyond the reach of the cardinal sins? I'm going to proclaim loudly: No! Family and friends are ideally placed to defraud us and sleep with our partner.

This isn't and indictment against trust, because, in practice, we trust family and friends anyway, and are rightly surprised and disappointed when they let us down.

We shouldn't be surprised or disappointed when HR, Legal, Management, etc, turn against us.

[candiodari]

All trust is relative.

Is HR more trustworthy than, say, the Chinese government ? Yes

(in most cases) is HR more trustworthy than far-off management of the company ? Usually, yes.

Are your friends and colleagues more trustworthy than HR ? Definitely

Is your family more trustworthy than your friends ? Usually

Of course your situation may differ, and some common sense needs to be applied, but HR is VERY low on the trust ladder.

[herge]

Then why not a contractor? If you trust nobody, at least you can protect yourself with a contact.

[icebraining]

In many places, the laws protecting employees are better than whatever you can make the company sign as a contractor.