Seems to me that we would all be better off as contractors. Have you seen what the contractors are getting paid? What would it be worth to you to not have to go through the assessment each year? Time to change your badge color.
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I'm sorry to say, that most wouldn't be qualified or skilled enough to do contracting work. Keep in mind that contractors generally have picked up a lot of best in class experience moving around different kinds of work and companies. Now I know it all depends on your field of work, but most XOM full timers have been with the company for more than 15 years doing lots of administrative work. You can't replace one with the other in most cases. My recommendation is get what kind of experience you can but you're going to have to cut your teeth getting more experience elsewhere and then coming back to XOM as a contractor. This might be your best bet.
You would be crazy to convert from being a contractor to an employee. Much better to avoid all the employee BS. Collect your check and go home. Contractors even receive overtime pay.
I know of two contractors that are getting 120 and 140 per hour. 40 hours a week. They are not very experienced but that's all we could find.
Really digging the retired dude below with the $500k independent contracting gig.
Yet he spends his casual time cruising the Layoffs page.
Is golf not boring enough, friendo?
Lots of excellent points here. Get rid of the time wasting PDS and ranking horsecrap, get rid of the annoying IT and surveillance, have an honest professional relationship with the Company. Leave the direct employees to rinning the rat race for the management cutthroats.
Everyone who's not CL30+ is already a contractor on annual renewal, whether you like it or not.
The best situation is to be a contractor WITHOUT an EM laptop. So your admin or the employee directing your work (me) has to forward you every little email and intranet thing and you never have to share your calendar. Allows you to pawn off a lot of BS. Anything goes wrong, just say you had some computer issue. Also no chance of failing a phishing test.
Former annuitants in EMRE Downstream and EMCC Chemicals hourly rate for contract work was typically $130 per hour through a consulting company with no benefits. The consulting company would take their % of the $130 per hour. Travel expenses would also be reimbursed if travel was a requirement.
Deepwater upstream appears to be much more lucrative for specialists with unique skills.
After retiring, I contracted with EM for 10 years. It really was nice not having to go through all EM employee BS. All that was expected of me was top level project execution performance. In turn, EM paid a top level day rate.
As a contractor (engineer, upstream) i was pulling in $84,000/month ($2800/day) + expenses. based on a month on -month off schedule On my month off, my day rate would drop to zero, still it was a good run ($84K x 6 months = $504K/year) . I did not go through a shop (I was one of the very few at EM that contracted directly; I set up my own consulting company). Too get that pay, I had 25 years hardcore, front line deepwater experience as an EM super (drillships & semisubs - Transocean, Seadrill, Noble, etc ).
If you've got 'in demand skills' plus the experience, contracting can be the way to go. This is especially true if you have secured a retirement package before contracting
Good luck!
How much are they getting?