5 ms·

It's also comparatively much easier to _fire_ a contractor than an employee. With employees you need to pay for their unemployment, give them severance, deal wi

It's also comparatively much easier to _fire_ a contractor than an employee. With employees you need to pay for their unemployment, give them severance, deal with COBRA, etc. Contractors' lives can be ruined in a moment's notice. That's why I'm not a contractor, and never will be. I see how the tech industry treats people it doesn't like, and I'd like to know that I at least have _some_ protection against that.

MatthewMcDonald 8y ago
Part of the reason that contractors have a higher hourly rate is to account for the time between contracts.
- geezerjay 8y ago
  > Part of the reason that contractors have a higher hourly rate is to account for the time between contracts. Actually they don't. Some contractors are able to negotiate higher hourly rates, just like some employees are able to negotiate higher salaries. Yet, just because some employees managed to get paid above average salaries that doesn't mean all employees earn above average salaries.
  - bena 8y ago
    I've seen both and I don't think it comes down to negotiation, I think it comes down to contract type. I've worked as a contractor for a firm. We billed out pretty high. I also know some people who work for a certain company as "contractors" but just seems like a way for the company to avoid giving benefits. A shitty hourly wage and they "furlough" everybody for a few months out of the year so they don't really have to worry about actually firing anybody, just don't pick up their contract next year.
  - MatthewMcDonald 8y ago
    Perhaps I should have clarified; part of the reason that contractors can negotiate higher rates is because businesses are willing to pay more if they can avoid a long term commitment like keeping a person on as an employee. If you are a contractor, then you are running a business and you will have to do things that an employee wouldn't. One of those things is negotiating enough to cover the time between contracts. If you aren't good at negotiating then your business will not do as well.
mancerayder 8y ago
Then on the flip side contractors usually get paid for hours worked, including evening software releases, weekend on-call and so forth. Employees.. not so much. I'll take job insecurity over unpaid on-call any day of the week (especially Saturday and Sunday). Besides, employees get fired pretty easily from what I see. In some States they often get some severance to offset lawsuits, but a contractor still makes more.
- deleted 8y ago
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MatthewMcDonald 8y ago

Part of the reason that contractors have a higher hourly rate is to account for the time between contracts.

geezerjay 8y ago
> Part of the reason that contractors have a higher hourly rate is to account for the time between contracts. Actually they don't. Some contractors are able to negotiate higher hourly rates, just like some employees are able to negotiate higher salaries. Yet, just because some employees managed to get paid above average salaries that doesn't mean all employees earn above average salaries.
- bena 8y ago
  I've seen both and I don't think it comes down to negotiation, I think it comes down to contract type. I've worked as a contractor for a firm. We billed out pretty high. I also know some people who work for a certain company as "contractors" but just seems like a way for the company to avoid giving benefits. A shitty hourly wage and they "furlough" everybody for a few months out of the year so they don't really have to worry about actually firing anybody, just don't pick up their contract next year.
- MatthewMcDonald 8y ago
  Perhaps I should have clarified; part of the reason that contractors can negotiate higher rates is because businesses are willing to pay more if they can avoid a long term commitment like keeping a person on as an employee. If you are a contractor, then you are running a business and you will have to do things that an employee wouldn't. One of those things is negotiating enough to cover the time between contracts. If you aren't good at negotiating then your business will not do as well.

mancerayder 8y ago

Then on the flip side contractors usually get paid for hours worked, including evening software releases, weekend on-call and so forth. Employees.. not so much. I'll take job insecurity over unpaid on-call any day of the week (especially Saturday and Sunday). Besides, employees get fired pretty easily from what I see. In some States they often get some severance to offset lawsuits, but a contractor still makes more.

deleted 8y ago
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