Odd Question....

48 Comments

1. AnonymousOctober 12,2024 at 1:53AM UTC

   Wow. This response makes me feel validated for thinking my team disliked me when I joined the company as a contract employee. What’s the point of treating contractors or freelancers like this?

2. AnonymousOctober 12,2024 at 1:56AM UTC

   I don’t have any advice to offer but last year I did a contract job and felt very excluded when it came to dealing with the full-time regular employees on my team. Like, they wouldn’t even say good morning to me. It really hurt my feelings and made working in the office very unpleasant. I guess maybe us freelancers/contractors are viewed as outsiders and too temporary to bother with?

3. SaraOctober 12,2024 at 12:40PM UTC

   The coworker probably doesn't understand that the point of LinkedIn is to build a professional network, not a friends network. I wouldn't worry about it and just continue to work well with her.

4. AnonymousOctober 12,2024 at 1:18PM UTC

   Some people have a rule about adding coworkers to their social media accounts. As someone else said, LinkedIn is more networking than social, so she probably doesn't understand that aspect. Having coworkers able to see everything (and be notified every time) you post can limit what they discuss on social media, which is why they do that. For example, I generally don't post anything publically about politics or other social issues that might be controversial because I have a wide variety of people of all persuasions as part of my social media, so I tend to respond to people I agree with but don't share their posts unless they are politically benign. By this person limiting her network, she is probably waiting until she really knows and trusts someone before becoming part of their communication circle. Maybe wait until you know her well, and then try again if you think you agree with most discussions.

5. AnonymousOctober 12,2024 at 2:49PM UTC

   There’s literally nothing to lose by accepting a freelancer’s connect request on LI. And saying freelancers are great but not part of the company and not employees is coming across as very “you can’t sit with us.” I’m actually kind of surprised that people like that exist.

6. AnonymousOctober 12,2024 at 3:25PM UTC

   Right?? I'd love to know which companies they work for so I can avoid them!

7. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 6:20AM UTC

   Since we’re naming companies…I took a contract role at Mattel. Horrible experience. As a blue badge most of the people on my team treated me like I was second class. I did a lot of work, pitched a lot of good ideas and worked as hard as any of the full-time regular employees. The only difference is I was paid a lot less, wasn’t eligible for PTO or benefits, and wasn’t respected by my colleagues. My time there was so miserable that even if I had been asked to stay on full-time permanent I would have declined. All because my colleagues thought it would be fun to make me feel like I didn’t belong.

   I cannot believe there are commenters on this thread admitting that they go out of their way to exclude contractors and freelancers and seem to view us as opportunists and beneath them. To these people…you can come up with a million excuses as to why you don’t like contractors or freelancers but really I think you’re just bullies and see yourself as superior and enjoy making others feel bad.

8. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 1:01AM UTC

   Right???? But I think it's more a reflection of their inferiority complex and nothing to do with contractors.

9. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 2:49AM UTC

   Paid LESS as a contractor??? That's not right. I make much more as a freelancer because I'm responsible for my healthcare, etc. I do have a 401k and an option for health insurance right now but I get a healthy hourly. That's the only point of contract because we don't know when it will end and we are typically responsible for our own benefits. Please PM me if you'd like. I want to help. YES!! I'm shocked by many responses here, but that's what I love about this forum--we get to really see an array-right or wrong- of POVs.

10. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 4:19PM UTC

    Yeah it was my first time taking a contract job so I guess I was a bit naive when it came to the salary. But during the interview process the VP of the department told me that it was very likely I’d be hired on as a permanent after 3 months. Looking back, she was obviously lying.

    I thought Mattel was a dream company before I joined but it was actually the worst place I’ve ever worked. A lot of mean and conniving coworkers and a revolving door of contract workers. It seems they hire mostly contract workers so they can just use and discard them without wasting too much company money. Mattel is truly an awful corporations. The stories I have from working there. Do not recommend.

11. AnonymousOctober 12,2024 at 3:18PM UTC

    OP here-Ummmmm...... no. I am freelancing right now because I do NOT want to grow roots. And whether I've been on staff or consulting, it's always best practice to continue growing my professional network. When I've been on staff and hiring freelancers, I treated them like gold because great help is hard to find and I was grateful to have outsiders who could jump in and help get us through tough times with workloads. And-my point is I can't send a connection request because she blocked me before I could.

12. AnonymousOctober 12,2024 at 5:20PM UTC

    While LinkedIn is a networking platform, people have different standards/reasons for who is in their network. If you were in my network, we'd have worked together for some time, and I wouldn't be worried about you mining my network for job leads, etc. Iow, if you reached out to someone you "met" through me via LinkedIn, they'd believe I knew and endorsed you. Not everyone uses their network the same way.

    Why do you want to connect with this person? That may be at the heart of this.

13. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 6:26AM UTC

    Not OP but why are you assuming she job hops? There’s a multitude of reasons why someone may choose to take on freelance work or a contract position.

14. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 3:22PM UTC

    Right??? I always go the consulting route when the market is tough. It's lucrative.

15. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 4:51PM UTC

    Not sure who you are replying to. You replied to my reply that had nothing to do with job hopping.

16. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 6:28AM UTC

    This whole mindset of “work colleagues are not friends” is so cliche and boring. Some of my best friends started out as my work colleagues. Stop viewing all coworkers as competition and you might be surprised. Yea some colleagues can be problematic but it’s not everyone.

17. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 12:49PM UTC

    Omg why so nasty to the OP? She is a real coworker and people professionally connect in more ways than one. I was a contractor and am still connected. To the original OP, it’s okay not to connect to the colleague. I’m not connected to some as I either don’t care for them and/or they don’t serve a purpose to me professionally. But though you’re a contractor you are valued. Connect with others you are meeting and if they don’t accept it’s okay. Hang in there!

18. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 3:21PM UTC

    OP here-Thank you for making sense! I'm a little weirded out by some of the comments. I'm not hurt by it. I'm just curious. The COO & CFO connected with me immediately. It's just strange, but don't worry-it's not like I'm losing sleep over any of it. LOL!!!

19. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 12:52PM UTC

    Yeah some replies are nasty. Ignore them. Who knows but all you can do is try and keep a good working relationship with her. She’s letting you know her wall is up and not interested in connecting. Or doesn’t really use it.

20. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 3:53PM UTC

    LOL-Yeah, that poster must be a joy to work with! It makes sense that the coworker is looking for a new job. We work really well together, but it's non-stop day after day. I can totally understand her burn out right now. Thanks again for being helpful!

21. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 3:11PM UTC

    I am responsible for operations and have 20 years more experience than her. I don't mine profiles for leads because I don't need to.

22. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 3:18PM UTC

    OP here-are you always this helpful in the forum? You just made a ton of assumptions; and all wrong :). I am currently under a 1 year contract with the option to extend. I work full time and actually just billed 55 hours last week. Who's stalking?? Do you even know what that means? With over 3000 in my network, I'm not on the site to make friends. It's about professional connections. A "real" coworker? What does that even mean? And "hell-bent"? Huh? It's a simple question that I posted. You read A LOT into it.

23. AnonymousOctober 13,2024 at 3:26PM UTC

    Angry? I don't think the post has anger in it. Wow. Are you okay?

24. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 3:33AM UTC

    LinkedIn is social media and some professionals prefer to control access. Sometimes it's just TMI and clouds things.

25. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 3:38PM UTC

    She may be looking for other opportunities and doesn't want it known by those she already works with.

26. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 3:44PM UTC

    It may be a past bad experience with a coworker. I had a coworker reporting everything I said on Facebook to my boss at one point (and I am boring, I mostly post about stuff like my adorable niece) and I lost trust.

    As others have said, as Facebook goes south, LinkedIn has become more Facebook-y. She may just have had a bad experience and wants to keep this part of her life separate.

27. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 3:46PM UTC

    LOL-I can only guess what you do for a living, but some businesses do get busy hence they bring in freelancers. 55 hours is a lot, but it's also good money for the freelancer.

28. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 3:48PM UTC

    I don't read it that way at all either. She didn't say she's stuck on anything. She's asking a simple question.

29. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 3:56PM UTC

    Ummmm.... actually, as a full time freelancer, I do have a 401K and healthcare with the employer. I also have an hourly that is 2x more than being on staff. Times have changed. Try to keep up.

30. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 4:05PM UTC

    Many people only want to work with their coworkers. They don’t to be friends or share their entire lives and job experiences. Move on. She already indicated that.

31. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 4:56PM UTC

    Respect boundaries. You’re not entitled to connect with this person. As long as they’re not disrespectful to you at work , act as though these people don’t exist outside of work…. I personally have had terrible experiences with coworkers and managers on LinkedIn. Only wanting to connect because they feel entitled to know my every move, wanting to be “attached” although they were never friendly at work or KNOWN for throwing people under the bus. They’re too nosey and it really gives obsessed.

32. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 8:09PM UTC

    What field do you work in?

33. AnonymousOctober 14,2024 at 8:23PM UTC

    We keep flagging your posts because they are clearly a reflection of you and have nothing to do with the OP. Why do you keep re-posting the same thing every time the admin deletes it? OP also never said she was a "workaholic". Are you okay? There are 800 numbers

34. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 12:50AM UTC

    Asking you as the poster having had this terrible experience.

35. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 12:55AM UTC

    The fact that you think reviewing profiles of people you're going to work with is "nosey", is a bit disturbing. Do you understand that LI is only about professional connections. Yikes.

36. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 12:56AM UTC

    You sound sad.

37. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 1:00AM UTC

    That sounds like a very sad contract. As a freelancer, I set up Slack channels and as I mentioned in a previous post, I do get 401K and health benefits. So, let's correct your post-YOU don't get that with your current contract. What you say does not apply to all contractors.

38. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 1:02AM UTC

    Thank you for naming and shaming. That's BS!

39. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 2:40AM UTC

    This has nothing to do with what the OP asked

40. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 4:31PM UTC

    You sound like the kind of coworker that makes office life dull and uncomfortable. My life isn’t 24/7 work either but when I’m at the office I try to be friendly to my colleagues and every now and again I make a real friend that way. People think they’re proving something by keeping their head down at work, doing their work alone in their cubicle, and not interacting with anyone but what they’re really doing is isolating themselves. That’s not healthy or happy.

41. AnonymousOctober 15,2024 at 6:23PM UTC

    Hi-OP here-Yes, I am receiving health benefits and in their 401K. This is a global company. I'm certain they're following all rules and regulations :). Thank you for sharing.

42. AnonymousOctober 16,2024 at 3:46PM UTC

    That's a super weird response. Do you understand what linkedin is?

43. AnonymousOctober 16,2024 at 3:47PM UTC

    W-2

44. AnonymousOctober 16,2024 at 4:55PM UTC

    Let it go. IMO

45. AnonymousOctober 17,2024 at 5:38PM UTC

    I am NOT an employee. Stop spreading mis-information about classifications. I am paid hourly. If I don't work, I don't get paid. As a full time hourly I get the benefits of a 401K and health insurance is made available to me.

46. AnonymousOctober 18,2024 at 2:56PM UTC

    Don’t classifications vary by state? And, if she is an “employee”, why doesn’t she get full benefits?

47. AnonymousOctober 19,2024 at 3:23PM UTC

    OP here-ever heard of a W2 contractor? Because that's what it is. But thank you for sharing your vast knowledge.

48. AnonymousOctober 20,2024 at 3:48PM UTC

    Hi-Yes, HR confirmed my classification as a W2 Contractor. I do appreciate you sharing what you know. I think it always helps for people to know the differences. I am going to call the state unemployment office to see what they have to say about it. So, thanks, again.