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I don't know why getting fired is such a big deal. I work mostly as an independent contractor, and my contract usually states that I can be "fired" (i.e. contra

I don't know why getting fired is such a big deal. I work mostly as an independent contractor, and my contract usually states that I can be "fired" (i.e. contract terminated) without any explanation at any moment (I can part anytime too, as long as I respect the NDA and went through the parting checklist). This is much more convenient for the employer, which is the part of the reason I demand much higher hourly rates than normal employees (and it still worth it). A contract with a regular full-time employee is harder for both parties, which is why the "usual" full-time employment is becoming increasingly rare. Which is a good thing, if you ask me. We are not in Japan, and the company is not supposed to keep us for life and take care of everything (and even in Japan, it is no longer in vogue).

__jal 10y ago
Putting aside everything else, contracting is very different. I'm was a contractor (independent as well as via a firm I co-started) for a over a decade, and getting fired by a client, as you say, is no big deal. Every business deals with bad customers, makes mistakes sometimes, etc. If it doesn't kill the business, you fix the problem (if any) and move on. Working for The Man is a very different relationship and is looked upon differently by everyone from other people through the tax man. So it is a different thing. Working around the same people daily for a long period of time within the context of employment means building different (and usually deeper) relationships. I won't say it is an ersatz family, but there are similar emotional things going on. Given that you go in to your engagements with the understanding that you can be fired at the drop of a hat means you think about it differently than the person who gets canned. Perhaps people should think differently about at-will employment, but they don't, and society loads them with different meanings.

__jal 10y ago

Putting aside everything else, contracting is very different. I'm was a contractor (independent as well as via a firm I co-started) for a over a decade, and getting fired by a client, as you say, is no big deal. Every business deals with bad customers, makes mistakes sometimes, etc. If it doesn't kill the business, you fix the problem (if any) and move on. Working for The Man is a very different relationship and is looked upon differently by everyone from other people through the tax man. So it is a different thing. Working around the same people daily for a long period of time within the context of employment means building different (and usually deeper) relationships. I won't say it is an ersatz family, but there are similar emotional things going on. Given that you go in to your engagements with the understanding that you can be fired at the drop of a hat means you think about it differently than the person who gets canned. Perhaps people should think differently about at-will employment, but they don't, and society loads them with different meanings.