So the company is having a special event today. I didn’t know much about it until a couple of hours ago. It turns out it’s fully catered, there’s entertainment, and it’s freaking beautiful outside. I get there only to find that contractors are not allowed to enter without written permission from a manager. Written permission, like in elementary school. Apart from that minor indignation, how elitist is that? Anyways, now I’m waiting for my manager to head over there, as it seems to be the only way I’ll get past the velvet rope. 
My old company had a policy like that. Their reasoning was that they had to be careful not to treat contractors like employees. They were afraid that if contractors were givin the same treatment, then they might have legal standing to claim that they were effectively an employee when it come to other benefits.
hell, at my company, we had to issue paychecks at the party to get people to come.
But I think wolfman may have the right idea about the problem. Auditors are very careful about who to call an “employee” and who to call a “contractor”.
You can still come to our parties Sea. 
But seriously, it sounds like a good policy, if not a little anal. I’m sure if you’re cool, they’ll have no problem letting you in. Unfortunately, many times you have to make policies based soley (sp?) on the bad seeds.
Thanks, Demo 
I’m sure it’s based on understandable policies, I just thought the whole “you have to get a note” thing was a bit silly. I wouldn’t even care if the weather wasn’t so damn nice and I hadn’t already seen everything set up.
At least they don’t make you pin it to your shirt so you won’t lose it.
The last company I worked under contract at was like that. Problem was, me and another contracter were liked so much by certain levels of management above ours that we got invited to the Christmas party.
I don’t think my direct supervisor was too happy. Nobody much liked her anyhow, though.
Whoa. Now that sucks. Not to tinkle on your head or anything, but last year my husband’s company had a big party. Telecommuters like my husband couldn’t attend, of course. So they told him to go out for a nice dinner, and they’d reimburse him up to $250. We live in a medium-sized midwestern town, folks, and though the cost of living is high, it is damned hard to spend $250 on dinner unless you’re into very fine wine, which we’re not. We took my poor starving former roommate with us and did our damnedest.
Being a cheapskate of the first order, I have never in my life gone into a restaurant and studied the menu for the most expensive choices… boy was it fun. With aged steaks, dessert, and premium drinks we managed to get within 8 bucks of it.
The odd thing is, my husband is a contractor. Hope they don’t revisit their policy and send us the bill back!
Oldscratch, I had a good laugh picturing myself walking back to the event wearing a note- “SeaDiver may go to the party”.
Lazarus, that’s exactly why this sucked. Exceptions have been made before. The week before last, a few other well-liked contractors and myself were invited along on an outing and it was a blast. I guess I’m just spoiled.
Seadiver … party will probably suck !>… go out to a strip club, then get a lap dance …
when comparing party stories the next day, you will sound so much better!
“Yah, so at the party I was at, after a while I wandered into the back and convinced one of the staff to wiggle her ass all over me while she took off her clothes … how was the company gig?” *
Just be sure to sign it “SeaDiver’s Parents.” No-one will ever suspect a thing. 
Umm…Lazarus, SeaDiver is a woman, and I don’t think she swings that way. Although I could be wrong. :p:
Or did you mean a MALE strip club?
Does it really matter?
That sucks. My company treats contractors just like employees. Except that they tend to make more than I do. But aside from that, they’re treated the same.
Follow-up to Lazarus’s idea. Show up at the company party with the strippers and offer free lap dances. You will be reveared as a God by many of the other male employees and there will be talk of ‘the man who brought the strippers’ for generations to come.
the same shit happened to me today too. we’re having some sort of picinic today and I didn’t get invited. Just cause today is my last day doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include me!
I’ll probably get flamed for this, but I am going to take the companies side. Parties and such hosted by the company are supposed to boost morale and reward loyalty. As a contractor, you are essentially a hired gunslinger doing a temporary job for the greatest monetary compensation. Contractors made the choice of working for themselves to maximize their income. The trade off for doing so is losing the benefits that come along with being a full time employee. If contractors and consultants are treated like full time employees with all the extras, then where is the incentive for remaining an employee? Just my opinion, don’t hate me for it.
I worked part time at an office where I was not invited to the Christmas party. To make matters worse, they figured that since I wasn’t going to the party I wouldn’t mind hanging out and answering the phones while everyone else was gone.
Merry Christmas to you Zumba.
I, personally, wouldn’t go to a party unless SeaDiver were there.
Especially if there’s going to be a mariachi band!
Edward and Zumba- I feel your pain!
Aglarond- as was stated, I am a woman, so it’s rather unlikely I’d be remembered as the “man that brought the strippers”. However, “cool chick that was hired and promoted on the spot” wouldn’t be too bad.
Pluto- I’m never going to live that down, am I?
SeaDiver, I’ve got quite a bit of experience with this. I think that a lot of these policies stem froma law suit broaght against Microsoft by long-term contractors, which the contractors won. The basis was that contractors were treated as employees in other ways, so they insisted on benefits. (I think it was the stock they were after). Make a long story short, many Bay Area high tech companies are scared of similar problems, this with the combination of new laws in CA has made it necessary to have policies that protect the coprs from legal actions.
When I was a contractor I also showed up at many events (invoted by managers) and noticed quite a few people staring in my direction. Fuck 'em if they can’t take a joke.
Sili