- Build rocket ship that gets to the edge of space - DONE - SpaceShip One, 2004 - Own a company named after Star Trek universe - DONE - Vulcan, Inc is mine, all mine! - Lose $8 billion when cable company goes bust - DONE - Charter Communications, 2009 - Build the world's largest trebuchet - IN PROGRESS - Stratolaunch, ~2015
At least I could figure out how to turn him off. The new help button in Office 2007 is like an idiot cousin or addled Aunt Ada. It's RIGHT below the "X" to close the program, and I hit it by accident at least once a day. Argh.
I've worked at HP-Boise for a few years, and I know there are a lot of contingent workers who do pretty strategic jobs, usually because we can't increase headcount. Makes me uncomfortable that we can't treat them the same as everyone else when they do the same jobs we do. Having said that, headcount costs and the expense of a contractor come out of 2 different reporting buckets, and it's all about making our numbers look good for Wall Street and the stockholders, right? And keeping as much money as possible in our pockets rather than the IRS'.
Contractor benefits depend on the contract company. Contractors may make more or less than HP employees in the same position, but we pay the contract company a premium price for the contractor. A contractor may be royally screwed by the Used Car Salesman of the contracting industry. Other contractors work for the Cadillacs of the contracting industry; they get premium pay (more than HP employees in the same jobs) and some benefits like vacation days and insurance. That hourly premium is intended to help compensate for cruddier benefits, by the way.
HP chooses from which company to use contractors, so maybe we shouldn't go to the Used Car guys. But we have to use contingent workers to compete in the marketplace, keep the cost of our products competitive, and still have enough profit to finance a few corporate bonuses. Otherwise, it'll all go over to India or Singapore and we'll all be unemployed. (Oh, but wait, then we'd sue India and Singapore for unemployment pay).
If the contractors win this case against HP, I think employees should countersue to demand reimbursement of any wage premium paid to the contractors in the suit (retroactive to the start date of their employment, of course) to bolster our severance packages when HP reduces overall headcount to offset the cost of the lawsuit in order to meet Wall Street expectations of our quarterly EPS.
A mall clothing store I interviewed at gave a written test to measure morality & ethics. One of the questions was something like, "when you take drugs, do you prefer: (a) marijuana, (b)cocaine, or (c) I only drink alcohol." Waitaminute! There wasn't a choice for "I don't do drugs."! I wrote my answers in on the Scantron form. Got the job, though I never did understand what they were testing for.
Similar to the idea of "Steal a Gift", but encourage folks to bring something used from home to give away. Most folks bring something normal or silly. There's always someone sadistic in a crowd, though. I've seen used baby diapers, table scraps, and sofa legs.
Slashdot Mirror
- Build rocket ship that gets to the edge of space - DONE - SpaceShip One, 2004
- Own a company named after Star Trek universe - DONE - Vulcan, Inc is mine, all mine!
- Lose $8 billion when cable company goes bust - DONE - Charter Communications, 2009
- Build the world's largest trebuchet - IN PROGRESS - Stratolaunch, ~2015
(Info on bucket list from WSJ article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203518404577096493595261190.html?mod=djemTECH_h)
At least I could figure out how to turn him off. The new help button in Office 2007 is like an idiot cousin or addled Aunt Ada. It's RIGHT below the "X" to close the program, and I hit it by accident at least once a day. Argh.
Uh. That's funny. Coz if you don't work specific hours or report to people, then you're not working. Or you're a CEO. Or both.
Contractor benefits depend on the contract company. Contractors may make more or less than HP employees in the same position, but we pay the contract company a premium price for the contractor. A contractor may be royally screwed by the Used Car Salesman of the contracting industry. Other contractors work for the Cadillacs of the contracting industry; they get premium pay (more than HP employees in the same jobs) and some benefits like vacation days and insurance. That hourly premium is intended to help compensate for cruddier benefits, by the way.
HP chooses from which company to use contractors, so maybe we shouldn't go to the Used Car guys. But we have to use contingent workers to compete in the marketplace, keep the cost of our products competitive, and still have enough profit to finance a few corporate bonuses. Otherwise, it'll all go over to India or Singapore and we'll all be unemployed. (Oh, but wait, then we'd sue India and Singapore for unemployment pay).
If the contractors win this case against HP, I think employees should countersue to demand reimbursement of any wage premium paid to the contractors in the suit (retroactive to the start date of their employment, of course) to bolster our severance packages when HP reduces overall headcount to offset the cost of the lawsuit in order to meet Wall Street expectations of our quarterly EPS.
A mall clothing store I interviewed at gave a written test to measure morality & ethics. One of the questions was something like, "when you take drugs, do you prefer: (a) marijuana, (b)cocaine, or (c) I only drink alcohol." Waitaminute! There wasn't a choice for "I don't do drugs."! I wrote my answers in on the Scantron form. Got the job, though I never did understand what they were testing for.
Similar to the idea of "Steal a Gift", but encourage folks to bring something used from home to give away. Most folks bring something normal or silly. There's always someone sadistic in a crowd, though. I've seen used baby diapers, table scraps, and sofa legs.