Been there. A number of years ago, I worked for a largeish company as a contractor, supplementing their full-time staff. We all did the exact same job, doing

Been there. A number of years ago, I worked for a largeish company as a contractor, supplementing their full-time staff. We all did the exact same job, doing second/third level helpdesk stuff. Kind of mindless, but it was the best work I could get at the time. After a massive desktop upgrade project, we had a little "awards ceremony" for all the people involved. The full-time employees got $500 checks. I got two movie tickets, not good for new releases or special engagements. When I think about it, I can still feel the rage. The money wasn't important, although it would have been nice. What burned me was the message that my contribution would NEVER be valued as equal, no matter what I did. It was an insult, plain and simple. Employers need to remember that their employees, contractors, and interns are human beings, who want to feel like their contribution is properly appreciated. "Properly appreciated" means a lot of different things to different people, but there's some sure-fire ways to screw it up.