Re: Consultants who have to work on junk equipment

Would you guys like some cheese and crackers with that "wine" ?

Ducking, running, scarmbling, DIVING for cover - JUST KIDDING !!!!

Chuck

DAsmussen@aol.com wrote:

> Hank,
>
> In a message dated 98-11-16 02:31:23 EST, you write:
>
> <<snip>>
> > One of the things that was pointed out to me was that the high salaries they
> >  were paying for the contract coders was making the regular staff jealous,
> so
> >  they felt justified in giving the new people poorer conditions to work in.
>
> Errr, Errrrrrr, ERRRRR!  Numero uno problemo mis amigo -- the existing staff
> should _NEVER_ know what your people are making!!!  In the first place, it's
> none of their %$##@&* business (do they know what their co-workers make?).  In
> the second, it undermines your ability to work effectively with the in-house
> staff.  The latter arrangement (in those rare instances in which they're not
> completely worthless) can save both you and your client _TONS_ of time and
> money.  Whoever "let the cat out of the bag" regarding your compensation
> should be taken out and flogged, regardless of whether they worked for you or
> the client.  Even if you want them, you cannot ethically hire any member of a
> client's staff, so what good does it do for them to know your billing rate?
>
> While I'm personally opposed to our industry working at any one site for more
> than a few months, I'm also opposed to employers that subsidize worthless
> employees with our services instead of giving a deserving employee a perm job.
> We definitely fill a need for "one-time" jobs like Y2K or mentoring staff on a
> new application/platform, but for the love of Pete just "toast" people that
> refuse to work or learn new methodologies.
>
> >  My reply was that I was there to bring the project in on-time, under-
> budget,
> >  and with a very high level of quality. The quality of the workplace would
> >  reflect the quality of our production. If they want junk work, write it
> into
> >  the contract, and we'll deliver it in the junk environment.
> >
> >  Funny thing is, the manager that I fought this battle with - he's one of my
> >  best references.
>
> And they always will be.  Don't ask for more than the "real" employees get
> (like the "Big 5" do), but don't accept less, either.  Managers respect
> someone that will stand up for their people, especially if they do the same
> for theirs.  If you walk in with the "I can help you" attitude instead of the
> "I'm better than you" attitude, you'll win friends and influence people.
> Otherwise, you can watch the client switch between the other "Big 5" as each
> one proves worthless...
>
> JMHO,
>
> Dean Asmussen
> Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
> Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
> E-Mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com
>
> "If you had to identify, in one word, the reason the human race has not
> achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be
> 'meetings'". -- Dave Barry
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