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> just hitting back that having contractors instead of employees is somehow unethical. It's unethical when the people concerned aren't independent contractors

> just hitting back that having contractors instead of employees is somehow unethical. It's unethical when the people concerned aren't independent contractors but are treated as such because it's cheaper for the company (e.g. in regard to sick pay, holiday pay etc) than treating them as employees. If you like a 6 month engagement length, that's cool, there's nothing stopping you from agreeing to a 6 month employment contract. Although even that is unethical on a company's part if they're taking advantage of power imbalances in the employment market to transfer risk/cost onto employees only "agreeing" to short term contracts under duress.

LAC-Tech 5y ago
But I don't want to be an employee. I want to be a contractor. With all the rights & responsibilities that entails. I mean how far do we take this - you've got 3 months worth of building to be done at your house, so you have to form an LLC and employ carpenters directly?
- follower 5y ago
  > I want to be a contractor. With all the rights & responsibilities that entails. Cool, and one of those responsibilities is ensuring that the contract arrangement is that of independent contractor and not employee. (Well, actually, it's more that your right as an employee is that your employer has the responsibility to ensure the arrangement isn't being misrepresented. So, really, you're free to make whatever arrangement you like but if your "client" is actually your employer they open themselves up to legal risk.) And, if your arrangement meets the legal criteria, then great, you can be a contractor. And, if it doesn't, then you can "lobby" the government to change the law so that you get what you want and other people get to be more easily exploited by their employers. Or, you know, you can ensure that you have multiple clients, work at times & locations & on equipment controlled by you, on specific pre-agreed tasks and/or whatever other legal requirements need to be met to be considered a contractor. With regard to the carpenters, company structure is unrelated to whether or not you're considered an employer by law. If the arrangement you have with the carpenters meets the criteria of being an employer/employee relationship, then, that's what it is. But most likely they're independent contractors free to accept & refuse work as they wish, have & use their own tools etc etc or they're employees of a building firm you've actually contracted with.

LAC-Tech 5y ago

But I don't want to be an employee. I want to be a contractor. With all the rights & responsibilities that entails. I mean how far do we take this - you've got 3 months worth of building to be done at your house, so you have to form an LLC and employ carpenters directly?

follower 5y ago
> I want to be a contractor. With all the rights & responsibilities that entails. Cool, and one of those responsibilities is ensuring that the contract arrangement is that of independent contractor and not employee. (Well, actually, it's more that your right as an employee is that your employer has the responsibility to ensure the arrangement isn't being misrepresented. So, really, you're free to make whatever arrangement you like but if your "client" is actually your employer they open themselves up to legal risk.) And, if your arrangement meets the legal criteria, then great, you can be a contractor. And, if it doesn't, then you can "lobby" the government to change the law so that you get what you want and other people get to be more easily exploited by their employers. Or, you know, you can ensure that you have multiple clients, work at times & locations & on equipment controlled by you, on specific pre-agreed tasks and/or whatever other legal requirements need to be met to be considered a contractor. With regard to the carpenters, company structure is unrelated to whether or not you're considered an employer by law. If the arrangement you have with the carpenters meets the criteria of being an employer/employee relationship, then, that's what it is. But most likely they're independent contractors free to accept & refuse work as they wish, have & use their own tools etc etc or they're employees of a building firm you've actually contracted with.