RE: Midrange Jobs National Discussion

When you say "paid the same", how do you define "pay"?  Monetarily, consultants 
are usually paid more than employees.  However, considering that alone as pay 
requires a very narrow view of compensation.  

Consultants pay their own health insurance, pay the employer's share of 
F.I.C.A. and medicare, provide their own retirement plans, and make no money 
while on vacation or sick.  This is not true for those working for contracting 
firms, but those receive considerably less than what is received by the firm.

Employees, on the other hand, get discounted group health insurance, 401K plans 
with employer contributions, vacation pay, sick pay, and some other things I'm 
probably forgetting.  

If one considers the total compensation package, one will probably discover 
employees are generally better compensated than contractors.  That's to say 
nothing of the reduced risk an employee has versus a contractor.

Donald R. Fisher, III
Project Manager
RoomStore, Inc.
(804) 784-7600 ext. 2124
dfisher@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Are the employees being paid the same or more than the consultants?  If
so, that would be very unusual in my experience. Why would an employee
stay with an employer that pays more to consultants than they are their
own employees?
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