3 ms·

How many of these contractors are software engineers who do get W-2d jobs? My understanding was that the majority were non software roles like cleaning staff, p

by lovich 8y ago

How many of these contractors are software engineers who do get W-2d jobs? My understanding was that the majority were non software roles like cleaning staff, physical security guards, cafeteria workers, etc. I've worked in temp agencies for that type of work and you stop getting paid when the temp agency does. Its all hourly paid work with the contracting firm only acting as a legal shield for the hiring company to be able to add/remove what are effectively their employees, without being beholden to the political or legal ramifications of layoffs

tptacek 8y ago
Since the instructions quoted refer to rewarding team members on projects with things like t-shirts, the impression I got from the article is: most of them. Regardless: I was responding to a point upthread about the supposed rarity of these arrangements. I'm less interested in litigating other things.
- lovich 8y ago
  I think the point is, firms like yours may exist. But they are in the minority at large tech firms who have software development as their core competency
  - tptacek 8y ago
    I think I'm maybe not being clear. I'm saying: body shop or not, the core feature of a staff-aug firm --- the entire reason they exist at all --- is so that the staff-aug firm owns the W2 downtime risk, and the client can retain or release augmented staff at will. The question from the top of the thread is whether staff-aug firm employees get paid even when Google doesn't need them. And the answer to that question, in general, is yes: they're W2 employees, not 1099s. I'm sure Matasano did a number of things better than a large body shop firm. But paying for bench time is a norm, not an exception.
    - lovich 8y ago
      I agree with the rest of your post except for >But paying for bench time is a norm, not an exception Having worked at a temp firm for a low skilled job, call center and data entry, you don't get paid for downtime. They have you on an agreement where you get paid hourly and just aren't scheduled. Or they let you go and call you back if there's more work later. The negotiating power isn't there for employees to have the companies shoulder that risk

by lovich 8y ago

tptacek 8y ago

Since the instructions quoted refer to rewarding team members on projects with things like t-shirts, the impression I got from the article is: most of them. Regardless: I was responding to a point upthread about the supposed rarity of these arrangements. I'm less interested in litigating other things.

lovich 8y ago
I think the point is, firms like yours may exist. But they are in the minority at large tech firms who have software development as their core competency
- tptacek 8y ago
  I think I'm maybe not being clear. I'm saying: body shop or not, the core feature of a staff-aug firm --- the entire reason they exist at all --- is so that the staff-aug firm owns the W2 downtime risk, and the client can retain or release augmented staff at will. The question from the top of the thread is whether staff-aug firm employees get paid even when Google doesn't need them. And the answer to that question, in general, is yes: they're W2 employees, not 1099s. I'm sure Matasano did a number of things better than a large body shop firm. But paying for bench time is a norm, not an exception.
  - lovich 8y ago
    I agree with the rest of your post except for >But paying for bench time is a norm, not an exception Having worked at a temp firm for a low skilled job, call center and data entry, you don't get paid for downtime. They have you on an agreement where you get paid hourly and just aren't scheduled. Or they let you go and call you back if there's more work later. The negotiating power isn't there for employees to have the companies shoulder that risk