An Unkindest Cut
I'm making this public because there's nothing in what I'm about to say that needs hiding. As someone directly affected by the entire situation I feel I am entitled to voice an opinion, and would hope that a hiring manager motivated to investigate my blog would understand my position and respect it. Nothing in this entry is illegal. All figures stated are either mine to share or a speculation.
Recent events that began with a mass firing/layoff at Microsoft have finally reached contract staffing. Microsoft's mandate to reduce billing rates is being passed directly to the contractor by almost every agency that provides such staff to them. I was told earlier today that this manifests as a $10/hour pay cut for people in my line of work with my level of experience. I was appalled. I expected to take a hit, but not such a big one.
Let's do the math here. $10 is 10% of $100. Without revealing my personal salary numbers I must say this: If $100/hr is what they're actually billing Microsoft I am getting screwed out of a lot of cash to begin with. This is standard practice, unfortunately. The executive decision to avoid loss of revenue at all costs by placing the burden on me and my fellow workers will at best lead me to bankruptcy in a month or two. At worst it will take me out of this market completely. I imagine this has crossed the minds of every other person who has done the math as well.
Emotions run high on this issue. I have heard accusations and defenses from every angle. Blame Microsoft. Don't blame Microsoft. Be grateful you have a job at all. That big a cut and I might as well not have a job. Blame the agencies. Washington is an at-will employment state. Sympathize with the agencies. Everybody has an opinion and everyone has made up facts to support them. I personally do not believe that the agencies have handled this well at all, and they have not been given adequate time to.
I worked long and hard to reach the amount of pay I get now. The cut my agency is implementing all across the board sets me back seven years. Any of you close to me knows what this means to me. After working my ass off to get to a point where I could support myself knowing my husband would leave me, I feel very cheated. I burned through hard-earned savings to climb out of my last career into this one. I have made numerous sacrifices to "have a job at all." I am exceptional at what I do, and the more I do it, the better I become at it, so it's hard not to be angry that it all leads to this. I am not alone.
Everyone I know is affected by this situation. Over the last week I have talked with many groups of people, discussed the state of our industry, and worried about where the next mortgage or rent payment will come from. The only good that has come from that worry is a new sense of understanding and compassion that comes from knowing we are all in this together. My loyalties are not to any specific group of artists, coworkers, or friends, but to anyone I know. I am not going to help one person more than another, I'm just going to help wherever and whenever I can and hope it pays off.
In the meantime I will wait and see how this whole pay cut thing works out. With the amount of press it's getting, it may fix itself.
Recent events that began with a mass firing/layoff at Microsoft have finally reached contract staffing. Microsoft's mandate to reduce billing rates is being passed directly to the contractor by almost every agency that provides such staff to them. I was told earlier today that this manifests as a $10/hour pay cut for people in my line of work with my level of experience. I was appalled. I expected to take a hit, but not such a big one.
Let's do the math here. $10 is 10% of $100. Without revealing my personal salary numbers I must say this: If $100/hr is what they're actually billing Microsoft I am getting screwed out of a lot of cash to begin with. This is standard practice, unfortunately. The executive decision to avoid loss of revenue at all costs by placing the burden on me and my fellow workers will at best lead me to bankruptcy in a month or two. At worst it will take me out of this market completely. I imagine this has crossed the minds of every other person who has done the math as well.
Emotions run high on this issue. I have heard accusations and defenses from every angle. Blame Microsoft. Don't blame Microsoft. Be grateful you have a job at all. That big a cut and I might as well not have a job. Blame the agencies. Washington is an at-will employment state. Sympathize with the agencies. Everybody has an opinion and everyone has made up facts to support them. I personally do not believe that the agencies have handled this well at all, and they have not been given adequate time to.
I worked long and hard to reach the amount of pay I get now. The cut my agency is implementing all across the board sets me back seven years. Any of you close to me knows what this means to me. After working my ass off to get to a point where I could support myself knowing my husband would leave me, I feel very cheated. I burned through hard-earned savings to climb out of my last career into this one. I have made numerous sacrifices to "have a job at all." I am exceptional at what I do, and the more I do it, the better I become at it, so it's hard not to be angry that it all leads to this. I am not alone.
Everyone I know is affected by this situation. Over the last week I have talked with many groups of people, discussed the state of our industry, and worried about where the next mortgage or rent payment will come from. The only good that has come from that worry is a new sense of understanding and compassion that comes from knowing we are all in this together. My loyalties are not to any specific group of artists, coworkers, or friends, but to anyone I know. I am not going to help one person more than another, I'm just going to help wherever and whenever I can and hope it pays off.
In the meantime I will wait and see how this whole pay cut thing works out. With the amount of press it's getting, it may fix itself.