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If the working conditions are acceptable (and it looks like they were / are), and if the money was agreeable when you accepted the contract (and it looks like was / is), then you really do have an ethical obligation to serve out your contract.
>From my personal experience, I only started preparing to jump ship after the working conditions became unbearable. The money was fine, but towards the end, I had to literally talk aloud to myself in the car to pump myself up to face another day in hell.
My original supervisor was a pretty decent and "normal" guy but who was preparing to retire. He made the terrible mistake of promoting the senior member of the department who was and is totally unqualified to supervise projects or people (very product-knowledgeable but extremely neurotic, borderline psychotic, clueless about ethical and legal management techniques, etc.). The company refuses to take him out of the loop because of his 26 years "in the business". Sheesh!
I took it on the chin daily from him for many months before beginning a search, calling it off, restarting the search, etc. The "house of cards" finally collapsed, I survived and happily landed a contract with a sort-of competitor (with NO legal or ethical constraints because numerous employees have already gone between the two companies way ahead of me).
While this may also end, it is far closer to home, the money is fine and I no longer have to report to a "Jack Nicholson" character (think: "The Shining").
Incidentally, my list of enthusiastic professional references at the previous client include a long list of everybody from the head of human resources all the way up the ladder to the overall head of engineering (to whom my own ex-supervisor reports).
I've resubscribed to this list from my home office, and will keep it that way.
-- Ken in Atlanta
>
> From: "Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
> Date: 2007/07/13 Fri AM 08:17:13 EDT
> To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Subject: RE: Ethics of Jumping To Another Contract Job
>
> The "Do Not Re-Hire" check not an ethical question. But here are some:
>
> Would it be dishonest to quit before the end of the contract?
>
> Would breaking your contract harm your colleagues?
>
> Would forgoing the higher contract harm anyone else?
>
> Try explaining the situation to your current client; their response
> might answer the ethical questions. For example, if they tell you to go
> ahead and take the higher offer with their blessing, that would be easy,
> wouldn't it? Alternatively, they might offer to match the higher offer,
> or at least to increase the current contract. In any case, the advance
> warning might soften the blow and reduce the damage to your reputation.
> Often, the best ethical decision is also the best business decision.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Richard Lewis
> > Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2007 7:19 PM
> > To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > Subject: Ethics of Jumping To Another Contract Job
> >
> > I completed a six month contract job and, just
> > prior to it ending, I was offer a second six
> > months. I was told all along that my work was very
> > good but, I was kind of surprised when they gave
> > me the second extension. I have worked about
> > 1 month of the extension.
> >
> > Now, a much better paying opportunity avails
> > itself. Ethically, would you move on? Will the
> > current company give me a "Do Not Re-Hire" check
> > in my personnel file?
> >
>
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