Freelancers, if you were offered work with good rates, interesting project but unpleasant colleagues would you take it?

[hattyyellow]

I've freelanced for the last 18 months, working with previous contacts and also new contracts who I've pitched to. I've been lucky so far that all those I've worked with have been friendly and relatively easy to get along with.

I've now been offered a new contract. The money is good, the work looks interesting and I know I can give it a good shot. My warning bells in my head are that the person in charge of the whole organisation is very unpleasant, I certainly wouldn't take a full time job working in the office with her.

The person I'd be directly working with to do the work is apparently also very unpleasant, I checked with a contact who used to work with him and he got fired for bullying from their organisation. . In my conversations with him he was relatively pleasant, but pretty brusque and a bit cold.

I would be working from home, and the work would be research/behind the scenes writing - so my head wouldn't be on the line for actually delivering the project.

I really don't know what to do, we need the money and I'm new enough to freelancing to still be worrying what work will come up if I turn this one down.

Any advice gratefully recieved...I'm also pregnant and a bit hormonal so not hugely keen to either have the stress of losing out on the money or getting upset over people being unpleasant. I'm generally quite hard-nosed if people are difficult with me at work, I detach from it and remain professional - but I'm not quite sure I can do that at the moment...

[oranges]

I'd take it, and minimise the contact you ahve with them. They have not yet done anything horrid to you and as you said, the money would be good.

[NoNickname]

I think I would consider how long the contract is for. If it's only a month or two - even three - I think you can take that. If it's for any longer than that, it may begin to wear you down.

[orangina]

I would say that if there is any likelihood of your work being affected by either of these people (not able to get it done properly, being late in delivering etc), then don't do it. Also, if you think it will stress you, don't do it. Stress and pregnancy are unhappy bedfellows (or whatever the expression is)... Also, the money would have to be really QUITE good for me to take on stressful work at present...

[WideWebWitch]

Take it but:

a) try to keep a contractor mentality of "I'm here to do xyz, and do as I'm asked, not get caught up in the politics"
b) the MINUTE anything happens (and it may not) bring it up, immediately and professionally in a very "maybe you didn't realise but can I give you some feedback, that comment sounded rude."
c) Make sure you have an exit strategy and potentially, a reason for leaving if you do leave before the end (erm, leaving to have a baby would do it! as would "end of contract")
d) Keep looking if you want to
e) remember it is a contract, it's not for ever.

The lovely thing about contracting imo and e is that if they don't like you OR you don't like THEM you can leave. Make sure your notice period is a week or 2 at the most though so that you're free to walk away if you need to.

Then do the work, keep calm and happily rake in the cash knowing they can't or won't touch you because you have a good plan.

That's what I'd do. IME contractors are treated well as employers KNOW they can walk if they're treated badly. So I'd go and judge the jobs on its own merits and make up your own mind. It might not be bad at all, it might be personality or something.

The woman who previously did one of my contracts was fired due to the boss not liking her and I took over with great trepidation but turns out she was crap and that was why she'd gone. I got on great with said boss so all was well.

Good luck.

[CountessDracula]

hi www
my contract up end first week of June!
hurrah for the summer...

[CountessDracula]

ps I agree with what WWW said hatty

[hattyyellow]

Cheers all this is really really helpful.

I'm tempted to just take it and as you say, leave if I don't like it. I tend to always keep an eye on what work is around anyway, just in case so I can construct an exit plan!

I'm doing a couple of paid days trial work for them, at my suggestion -so they'll have seen my approach to the project and the way I work.

Hopefully that should make things a little more straightforward if they're happy with that.

Am worried about the hormones though - I just banged my head on my desk trying to plug a printer in underneath and have been sobbing away pathetically rather than my normal loud swearing! I might have to run away quite quickly if anyone of them are nasty to me!

[WideWebWitch]

lol at the crying, yes, you'll have to say "excuse me" v quickly and run to the loo to sob if they make you want to cry. And come here and ask "AIBU to cry because he said I was great?"

Hi Cd, are you taking the summer off or looking for somethnig else? I've been extended until end Nov but proj has just slipped another 3 weeks so boss reckons I could be there in Jan 09. Which would suit me fine, THEN I could take a couple of months off!

[CountessDracula]

well irritatingly boss has just called to say that actually they do want to extend again!

Oh well a bird in the hand and all that...

[hattyyellow]

lol wickedwaterwitch - that's very amusing, do watch out for me on the AIBU with some crazy pregnant question soon!

[WideWebWitch]

I will hatty

Oh that's good CD, how long for?

[CountessDracula]

Not sure yet
Am hoping til Mid July then 6 weeks off with dd over hols
Suspect til end of year...
It is dependent on a decision being made though so not def yet

[WideWebWitch]

at school hols off
Bet it lasts longer though!

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