9th December 2011, 10:07 PM
I completely agree with the previous post. I am aware that this type of contract is often used by small units who don't usually require a larger team, and in this instance their use is understandable and acceptable as long as the staff are aware of their terms and conditions. However, larger companies now seem to be relying on zero hour and other short term contracts as standard practice, keeping large numbers of staff on such contracts for long periods of time just so they can dispose of them during a brief lapse in the workload.
This is a backward step for the profession. People will accept these contracts because they need to work but we as an industry need to do what we can to prevent this from becoming the norm. The circuit does not and cannot exist the way it has done in the past unless you have copious amounts of tolerant friends willing to let you sofa surf for extended periods. the cost of living is too high and it is becoming increasingly difficult to rent accomodation for short term contracts.
It has also become noticable that in the current climate budgets and timescales have become increasingly tighter. Companies need to invest in their staff if they want to be able to complete projects efficiently, otherwise they are at risk of not having the available staff and having to scrape the barrel in terms of standards.
This is a backward step for the profession. People will accept these contracts because they need to work but we as an industry need to do what we can to prevent this from becoming the norm. The circuit does not and cannot exist the way it has done in the past unless you have copious amounts of tolerant friends willing to let you sofa surf for extended periods. the cost of living is too high and it is becoming increasingly difficult to rent accomodation for short term contracts.
It has also become noticable that in the current climate budgets and timescales have become increasingly tighter. Companies need to invest in their staff if they want to be able to complete projects efficiently, otherwise they are at risk of not having the available staff and having to scrape the barrel in terms of standards.