TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE: Ethics of Jumping To Another Contract Job From:"James Barrow" <vrfour -at- verizon -dot- net> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:46:43 -0700
>Lauren Tariel wrote:
>>John Posada said:
>>
>>The rate was agreed on for the term that was agreed on. When the term
changes, >>why shouldn't the rate be considered?
>
>In my case, it was 1997 and rates were rising in the market. I agreed to
the short->term contract because it was not a job that I wanted to keep for
a longer term. When >rates went up, I wanted a raise.
[]
This really isn't anything that you can use as leverage. This is the same
as buying a house at a 10% interest rate and, when the rates drop, telling
your lien holder that you want to renegotiate the mortgage for a lower rate.
[]
>I began as one technical writer and more projects came in, so two new
writers were >added. I was the defacto lead and the project manager for all
of the documentation >projects. Project management and team leadership were
not in my original contract.
Now *this* is a bargaining chip.
>As it turns out, I had a medical issue that required the medical insurance
that the >company provided, so I didn't argue about the rate.
You've mentioned this previously and, unfortunately, this falls into the
'not a bargaining chip' pile. I worked with someone recently who wanted to
ask our director for a raise because he had incurred additional debt. I
could imagine our director saying, "Not my problem."
[]
>I think that now, if PM, or some other issue, comes up for a non-PM
contract, then I >will mention that we can re-write the contract and adjust
the rate accordingly, if that's >what the client wants.
Absolutely. It's all in the numbers. What's the going rate for a project
manager these days? $80,000? If your manager pays you an additional $5 per
hour, that's ~%10,000.
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-