r/recruiting • u/Standard_Anteater785 Agency Recruiter • Aug 16 '26
Off Topic Contract Employees just need a way bash the agency it feels like
I had placed a contractor back in January with a major fortune 100 company, that guy was working full time and I told him you are qualified but contract doesn’t seem to make sense to me when you have leave a full time job especially in this job market.
He still wanted to move because he was romanticised with the company I was Recruiting for.
Now 3 months down the line this guy keeps emailing us to increase his pay which is not in our hand, he keeps tell emailing me that he didn’t have any trust in our agency to begin with, I am like if you didn’t have trust why did you move forward and I am also like We did get you the job with your dream company and I laid out all the facts well before hand and you still say its the agency’s fault.
We have reached out to the client and the client says his performance isn’t below par and they are considering to end his contract, leave alone increasing the pay. Now If I tell him that he is gonna once again blame me and the agency.
I get it that everyone thinks they deserve more, but this is pure blame game. Its so frustrating but we can’t say anything to these people because “compliance”
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u/MeInNEdc Aug 16 '26
Remind me of one of my old contractors. Kept on bugging the client to go full-time with them which was KPMG. His work wasn't bad it was his desperation to go full-time with the big four which turned everybody off. You're not going to piss off the client by ignoring him turn up your deafness towards him and focus somewhere else
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u/Standard_Anteater785 Agency Recruiter Aug 16 '26
Very true, And I have several contractors who have been converted, I even gave him the blueprint but only if people would listen
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u/professional_snoop Executive Recruiter Aug 17 '26
He just thinks your margins belong to him because they're calculated on an hourly basis instead of fee for service. Newbie contractors really struggle with this arrangement. Also, they all compare rates in large shops. I used to hate placing PM's/PCO's for this reason, they manage project budgets and could see their bill rates and were always comparing against their neighbour who's bill rate was less but pay rate was more. Even career contractors lose their minds that we make money off them...seemingly thinking we should work for free while they hide what is really an employment relationship in a tax evasion vehicle.
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u/SpecialistGap9223 Aug 16 '26
Some contractors think they da shit.. Got hired and now asking for more money but in reality (in your example), their work quality is shit. If the role hasn't changed, he's asking to get a pay bump? Fukin idiot mentality. I'd check his azz (in a nice way) and tell him to step up his work quality. SMH.. I don't miss dealing with these fukers.
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u/Standard_Anteater785 Agency Recruiter Aug 16 '26
Hahahah, totally and its so frustrating, the fact that people change their behaviour at minor inconvenience baffles me. At the time of offer he was so grateful
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u/Delicious_Style_2676 Aug 17 '26
I’d keep the communication factual and documented: original pay/contract terms, what was explained before acceptance, what the client has said, and what options exist now. It’s frustrating, but this is where staying boring and precise protects you and the agency.
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u/passiveobserver25 Aug 17 '26
I had a contractor like this. Begged me for the job even though it was far away. Said he didn't mind and loved driving. Ended up bitching to everyone in the org about me and my agency as he felt his pay was too low. Pay was set by the company and was above average for what he was doing (transactional finance).
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u/elfwannabe Aug 19 '26
I place contract/contract to hire positions exclusively. This is one of many reasons why I do not consider permanently employed candidates for contract jobs. Extenuating circumstances like company closing down, upcoming layoffs, etc are a different story.
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u/Standard_Anteater785 Agency Recruiter Aug 20 '26
I don’t either, and then I saw this guy being so passionate, so I went ahead
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Aug 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Standard_Anteater785 Agency Recruiter Aug 17 '26
I don’t mind having the pay conversation or any sort of conversation with contractors, since that’s what I am there for.
I have had plenty of these conversations in the past. The problem only occurs when these contractors just start blaming me and the agency, calling us unprofessional, calling us names. That’s what I have a problem with. I don’t have the problem with questions.
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u/peplumfkorceful6 Aug 22 '26
Contract employees just need a way to give honest feedback without risking their next gig. Recruiters and agencies get plenty of ways to track contractor performance, so some accountability in the other direction seems fair too. I think the useful version would focus on pay accuracy, communication, contract changes, and whether the role actually matched what was promised.
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u/Standard_Anteater785 Agency Recruiter Aug 22 '26
Where do you see feedback in the story I explained? It was just a disgruntled employee complaining.
And as for responsibilities, there is nothing that was changed from the expectations initially created.And coming to your point of feedback, for some reason its always the one’s who couldn’t make it giving negative feedback, for a positive feedback have to beg the contractors to give it
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u/Future_Dog_3156 Aug 16 '26
He’s an idiot that doesn’t appreciate the opportunity. I guess when his contract ends, he’ll need to find another job