He Was Kept on Perpetual Verbal Promises While His Contract Expired—Then Handed in His Notice on the Eve of a Major Project Launch
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I’ve heard so many horror stories lately from friends who work as contractors about the lack of communication from their bosses and managers.
I had one person even tell me that their contract was supposed to be renewed on July 1…and he didn’t get notice until June 30 that it was going to happen.
That’s not cool!
And some people simply aren’t going to put up with the run-around.
The guy who wrote this story explained why he decided it was time to go when he wasn’t getting any indication about what was going on from the folks he worked for.
Check out what he had to say.
I’ve left my job – I’ve told no one.
“Last week I signed a contract with a new company (NewCo).
No specifics, but I work in tech and was headhunted for this new role. I made my online CV searchable and within a couple of hours I’d been contacted. They must have had an alert set up or something, which is simultaneously flattering and a bit creepy…
Anyway, my old company (OldCo) were “going places” (their words, not mine) when I joined in 2022. The terms of my contract were clear: 3 years, working solely on Project A. Pretty straightforward.
Unfortunately the company had a silent partner (SilentCo), who became increasingly less silent as time progressed.
Project A not only required funding from SilentCo, but it also needed to run alongside multiple other projects both within OldCo and at some of SilentCo’s other subsidiary companies.
I always manage my own projects, and being reliant on other projects in other companies wasn’t just something that I hadn’t been told about – it was something that I’d asked about and specifically been told that Project A was unrelated.
He wasn’t happy about this…
To say that I was disappointed when I found out that I’d been lied to would be an understatement, but I always consider myself a professional and try to behave accordingly.
I still had the majority of my contract to run, was being well-paid and, most importantly, I enjoy my work. However, the bond of trust with OldCo had been irreparably broken.
OldCo would shift timelines, SilentCo would delay funding, the project was overrunning by months and the costs were increasing.
Budgets were being allocated to Project A, then being withdrawn and redistributed to other projects.
I would just do my part, getting everything done that I could, providing reports on where we were, why we needed other projects to be completed before we could move forward with Project A, and giving adjusted dates on when this could be achieved.
These reports were pretty thorough and were sent every time something happened elsewhere that directly impacted Project A. Feedback was minimal. Occasionally I’d get a “thanks for the update”, but mostly there was no response from OldCo or SilentCo.
This was taking a while…
Due to all the delays and removal of funding, Project A is nowhere near complete but, as I mentioned earlier, I signed a 3 year contract in 2022 – that contract ended 2 days ago.
Not one person from OldCo or SilentCo has been in contact regarding a new contract or an extension.
Total silence.
It was time to hit the road!
So, 2 days ago I went into the office, put my laptop and phone on the desk, wrote a generic “thank you and goodbye” letter to leave next to it, and walked out for good.
There’s a chance they think I’m on holiday – contractors don’t get paid leave, but I had mentioned to a few people that me and my girlfriend were off to somewhere warm in October, but it’s not as if it was added to a work calendar or anything.
So who knows?!?!
My job with NewCo starts in January, and I’m in the fortunate position of being able to afford a few months off, so I’m already looking forward to a Christmas and New Year completely absent of work or stress. Neither OldCo nor SilentCo have been in touch yet, but presumably they’ll eventually realize I’m gone.
My consultant rates are pretty reasonable if they want me to do a proper handover – and I’ll do it, as I have no issue with anyone outside management (everyone else I dealt with was lovely).
The clock is ticking though, and it will be done on my terms and at my convenience.”
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Reddit users shared their thoughts.
This reader had a lot to say.
Another individual weighed in.
This reader shared their thoughts.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who decides to mute her boss’s number after he insists on calling her at home after hours.
And another person spoke up.
I think he did the right thing!
There’s no doubt that he was being jerked around.
Communication is key, people!
Hopefully, he’s on to bigger and better things!
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