Work Dynamics and Office Politics

[FinallyAPrincess]

Have a very strange dynamic developing at work and just want some different perspectives. It's a long one.

I am a contractor, have been for years. Able to hit the ground running. I joined a small company at Christmas with a high turn over, largely due to 3 month contracts. However, my contract has been extended indefinitely. So when I joined there were 5 core employees, who have been there for about a year or so each. The senior/director has been awol largely but has come back onto the scene recently. She is managing a big project but doesn't actually seem to do any work. One other senior member who I worked with is leaving and another is going on mat leave. So that leaves me, director, an other who is always absent and works for another company on the side, and an aussie who is also leaving.
The group dynamic is what is calling me to question my sanity. Worked with director this week to meet deadline and she didn't give me anything to do, whilst also claiming there is so much to do and she needs more staff. I went to give Dropbox link to mat leaver/project manager, who said she doesn't know anything about a deadline today! The other one who is hardly around also ignored my messages despite saying she works for this company on Fridays. I'm wondering if the remaining staff either don't like the fact I can get stuff done without faffing about and creating faux chaos, or they are just rubbish at their jobs, or if I've misread this situation completely. Not saying I'm amazing at my job but I have managed to do in two days what this director couldn't pull together in 3 weeks! She was on leave yesterday and today, hadn't given me much to do, so I got on with what I know needs to be done to get this work out. So I was suprised when the manager said she had no clue. They are either keeping me out the loop which is stupid as there is no one else around to do anything, or, as I assume, she is trying to punish the owner for not giving her more staff, however, this is a huge client hwo pays our invoices so why not just get on with it. I don't like office politics at all. So if anyone can offer perspective that would be great.

As a contractor do you have the luxury of ‘not your circus, not your monkeys’? It sounds like you could deliver a fifth of what you do and remain the most productive in the shop… ?Over performing (aka showing the others up) will likely not end well for you….
(obviously my own temperament would be to be tearing my hair out and trying to fix it)

You may be right, I may be over performing. However, I dont want others transfering their stress on to me, leaving things until the last minute. Well a new project is coming up and if I get the chance to work on it solo, I'd be a very happy player.

It’s sounds horrendous. It sounds like you are all paid a lot of money for not actually doing much work and complaining about it.

how can you work with a director but not be given work? Did you not ask?

Honestly -Just turn up and get paid and go

Would a tracker or RAG help then as a record that Sam and Alex need(ed) to do their part by this date… you can’t be expected to pick up their slack

Of course I asked. I was asked to print all the documents, which took all day and then they were not even used. And yes, I am paid very well, and it's usually very justified in all other contracts I've worked.

Keeping track is a very good idea, thank you. I've never had to do it, so will have to do some research on how best to go about it but it probably is the best course of action here. Thanks.