Jeremy Solomons, a Texas-based consultant on international business and career-life planning issues writes on the choice facing independent contractors. But is that choice simply to say 'yes' or not work?
	Workers have choices in defending their rights

workers have choices in defending their rights

Not so long ago, a job contract was a contract and salaried employees in Santa Fe and elsewhere could expect a certain amount of security and respect in return for hard work and loyalty. As recent events have shown at certain prominent organizations here and out of state, slaving part- or full-time for a company gives no guarantees whatsoever of future work. Life-time employment and gold watches are a thing of the past.

gold watches are a thing of the past

"I had been working at the (center) for six and a half years and they fired me on the spot, with no warning. I had to leave the same day," says a therapist, who is now thinking of making a move out to Santa Fe from the Southeast.

So virtually all workers - both salaried and independent - face the same dilemma in dealing with abusive and exploitative bosses.

avoidance...

 

1. avoidance  The first and most common strategy is avoidance. "I hate the principal and some of my co-workers really bug me. But I love the kids. They are the ones who keep me going," says one local teacher, who has decided to stay on in his job despite a hostile work environment. A more active form of avoidance is simply to quit. "I couldn't stand it any more. I felt totally unappreciated. I just had to leave," says an administrative assistant in a non-profit organization here. It took a few months but she did find another non-profit job, which pays less than her previous one but has been much more satisfying.

confrontation...

2. confrontation "then we can no longer work together" On the opposite end of the scale from avoidance comes confrontation, when things become so bad that "making do" with an unsatisfactory situation is no longer an option. This columnist has tried this more assertive approach many times, as both a salaried employee and an independent contractor. In the absence of any coordinated action with other colleagues - which has usually not been feasible - the results have been pretty consistent: a not-so-sweet parting of company. In a recent case, one agency employer I was working for - instead of offering a raise after two and a half years of close cooperation - unilaterally cut my and other independent contractors' fees by ten to twelve per cent across the board. "We have a universalist system here. We cannot treat you any differently from anyone else. If you can't work under these terms, then we can no longer work together," the director told me coldly when I dared to protest. I do not work for him any more. negotiating a compromise...

3. negotiating a compromise Negotiating a compromise seems such an ugly phrase but in the end, it often seems to be the only way to maintain one's job and one's integrity at the same time. "I had a series of informal chats with my boss and we worked out an agreement that could keep him happy and me happy," says one local hospitality worker. "I certainly did not get everything I wanted but I got enough to make it worth my while to stay. I am a lot clearer now about where I stand and what might happen in the future. And so is my boss," she added. The fine art of negotiation - both on the job and before getting a new one - will be a future area of investigation.

Jeremy Solomons...

 

Jeremy Solomons is a Texas-based independent consultant on international business and career-life planning issues. He has worked for six multinational organizations, including JP Morgan, Reuters News Agency and the World Bank. He can be contacted by e-mail at jersol@aol.com   Jeremy also writes for on the problems occasioned by the very nature of independent contractors.  Independent contractors face abuse and exploitation