'Upset' and 'not thrilled' are interchangeable in my lexicon. Didn't mean to convey hyperbole. It's generally understood that employees have all the rules you

'Upset' and 'not thrilled' are interchangeable in my lexicon. Didn't mean to convey hyperbole. It's generally understood that employees have all the rules you mention. I have been a contractor for 20 years and I have all those rules as well. So when does a consultant become an employee? Is it when I'm a 1099 or a W2 in the eyes of the IRS? The difference is in the initial negotiation; the benefits and a promise of future work for employees, but no such commitment for consultants. It's negotiated up front and must be renegotiated by both parties for any change. If I'm hired as a consultant, I don't get to claim I'm an employee later on because they worked me too hard. I have been worked too hard, but I know the rules, I made it through what ever the commitment I made, then either renegotiated or fired the client. That's what consultants have to do every day.