[cudgy]

> Except there were a few of us new hires that couldn't get permanent contracts because the departments were "fully staffed", we were busting our ass and making 1/2 of what these guys were for doing nothing.

If the “lifers” actually did something, you would not have been hired at all, right? So, in a way, their slacking actually created a job for you.

[moonchrome]

It was worst of both worlds - they had to use temp agencies and pay shit because the positions were filled on paper - company would have constant turnover and no young people getting properly trained - and people would quit fast because they figured they would never climb up untill the lifers retired.

Also these kinds of environments (people having too much time on their hands, nothing to do) has other nasty side effects - it's the extreme of corporate politics - clan/tribes and all that. I was good with computers so I got moved to IT department and I got to see it for a while - it was surreal compared to things I've seen in tech.