Worker Shares Viral Message Exchange Between Him And Corporate Representative After Being Reprimanded For Not Attending Monthly Meetings
Interview With Author
Pointless meetings are the scourge of our time. The sad fact is that many of them serve absolutely no purpose, except to allow some managerial staff to flex their stuff… and for everyone to pretend that there’s ‘quality’ team-building going on.
Some meetings could have been emails. Others could have several times shorter or quick Zoom calls. Still others have no reason to exist. Like, at all. Meetings should ideally be short, to-the-point, and serve a specific purpose. Sometimes, a face-to-face meeting is vital for the longevity of your career and for the company itself.
However, we don’t live in an ideal world. Redditor u/ChoctawJoe, an independent contractor, shared a bunch of messages that he got from his company, demanding that he participate in their meetings. The exchange between the two of them went absolutely viral on the r/antiwork subreddit, and it spread like wildfire from there. Scroll down for the full story, Pandas, and let us know what you think in the comments.
Oh, and gentle spoilers: in case you were wondering, no, the company does not compensate the contractor for driving 120 miles to and from the meeting. The only ‘compensation’ they provide is a sad little sandwich. Sure, we sometimes enjoy grabbing a bite from Subway, but c’mon! Bored Panda reached out to redditor u/ChoctawJoe, the author of the viral r/antiwork post, and he shared some of his thoughts with us. Read on to see what he told us.
Pointless meetings that waste everyone’s time, energy, and sometimes even money, are an issue that many workers face
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio
An independent contractor shared what happened after he refused to waste his time going to unpaid, useless meetings
Image credits: ChoctawJoe
Redditor u/ChoctawJoe told Bored Panda that he absolutely didn’t expect his post to get so much attention online.
“I just posted it thinking I’d get a few laughs, I had no idea I’d end up with thousands of messages and so much attention,” he said that the response has been enormous.
The OP had some ideas as to why his r/antiwork post became so popular: “I think it’s because everyone likes the idea of telling their overstepping authority figure to ‘back off’ and keeping them in check.”
He continued: “Many people have had an overly aggressive authority figure at their job and everyone dreams of being able to tell that person to stop overstepping their boundaries, but we rarely get a chance.”
The author of the post believes that older employees, especially, enjoy having more meetings in person. They tend to shy away from technology. “The management at the company I work with skews older and they’ve always had in-person meetings, and virtual meetings are too new and too impersonal to them,” the redditor told Bored Panda.
“Whereas the younger people who are more used to using virtual apps are comfortable with not physically being in-person.”
The OP added that their situation is fairly unique: “I’m not an employee so I have much more flexibility and bargaining power. If I were strictly an employee then I would have been in a much different situation.”
At one point or another, Pandas, you’re very likely to go to a meeting that’ll make you think: why the everloving frick did I attend? It’s cool to see your coworkers and managers (especially if you get along). It’s important to check in and to communicate.
But let’s be frank. Most of these work meetings aren’t done for the sake of communication. Some happen because there’s an expectation to do them (“we’ve always done it this way!”). Some meetings are held to create the illusion of communication, but they drag on even if there’s actually nothing important to say. And some occur because someone up in management wants to feel heard, important, and in control.
The natural reaction, for many, is to do what the independent contractor from Reddit did: just not go. And if they have the audacity to demand that you come, you can then use it as the perfect opportunity to tackle the topic. For instance, you might do what the OP did and call them out on just how resource-intensive (fuel costs, time, energy) going to those meetings is.
It’s also a great way to segue into having an in-depth discussion about these meetings with management. They might not be aware that there’s an issue with them in the first place (heck, who wants to be the first one to bring the subject of useless meetings up, right?). However, if they start threatening you with “serious discussions” in the near future if you miss any more, it might be time to reevaluate your relationship with your employer.
For instance, it’s perfectly fine to do the work that you’re paid to do without putting in additional effort. It’s recently been nicknamed ‘quiet quitting’ (more like ‘healthy boundaries,’ are we right?) and Bored Panda analyzed it in depth recently.
Workplace expert Lynn Taylor explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview that the younger generations have watched their overachieving parents allow work stress to consume them, so for them, working endlessly isn’t a badge of honor. A healthy work-life balance is.
“If the trend were renamed, ‘The New Boundary Setting,’ it would sound much more palatable. If you’re now able to set boundaries that protect your mental and physical health, then quiet quitting just means being prudent. It’s a helpful way to operate if you tend to be an overachiever, too. The mentality of giving less could actually bring you to a healthier level of work ethic; more within the bell curve,” the workplace expert told Bored Panda that there are different ways to interpret the quiet quitting trend.
“At the other extreme, is a segment of quiet quitters who are standing up to anything that requires extra effort. And sometimes you have to put in extra time to get the job done, not to mention get ahead. If being a quiet quitter means you have pent-up anger towards business and society putting too much emphasis on work, and you rigidly refuse to work beyond the call, that can hurt your career. That’s especially true in a recessionary period, where unemployment is higher,” she said.
According to Lynn, employees need to feel like they’re contributing to a larger purpose. “ Otherwise, it’s human nature to do the minimum required. Employee engagement begins with your job search. Now more than ever, workers need to find jobs that resonate with them,” she told Bored Panda.
“When work lives are mundane, the primary person who can change that is the employee. If every day seems like the movie Groundhog Day, then clearly it’s time to do something different. That might mean deploying skill sets that can help the company but have not been tapped or even changing jobs. It’s helpful to volunteer for projects that you would enjoy and let your manager know of the range of skills you possess,” she said.
“People go to work for more than a paycheck. Ideally, you should feel like you’re learning from your boss and they’re helping you feel challenged. Employees can also learn from colleagues. A deeper connection than zoom calls and staff meetings is required. Work life will seem more satisfying when relationships with colleagues are productive and enjoyable.”
The OP gave a bit more context in the comments of his r/antiwork post
Here’s what others thought about the viral story. Some even shared some great advice, useful for all contractors
I had to explain to more than one client: “I have a line of potential clients who want me to work on their project, and they are NOT currently annoying me. Have you considered exactly what kind of leverage you have over me to attempt to treat me like this?”
I'm a photographer. Some a*****e thought they were doing me a favor by referring me to one of their equally shitty friends. This friend wanted 30 photo sessions done in one day as part of her pyramid scheming multi day seminar b******t that she charges an arm and a leg to attend...and she needs the photos retouched. Cool. I told her my hourly rate. This jackass tells me what I charge for one hour she'll pay me for the ENTIRE project. "But it's a great networking opportunity" to drum up more business. The exposure alone would practically pay for itself. When I balked at her low ball offer she replied with "but you're only going to spend 15 minutes shooting each person." I never responded and just blocked her. DSC0193Ret...9901ca.jpg 
I haven't even attended meetings on my day off when I was an employee unless I was paid for it. No way would I do it as a contractor.
I was recently asked to attend an in-person meeting during a vacation week.
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Ooooh this burns me up. The tales I could tell about working as an Independent Contractor for The PGA TOUR. Same c**p. Like the time they hounded me almost hourly to attend The Players because the president wanted employees to show up because it looked good. Except oh wait, I wasn't actually an employee so I would have to go to the tournament, unpaid. Or the team building exercises that everyone else got paid for and got to go home early with pay, oh except I was an independent contractor so I didn't get paid and I didn't get to go home early. I really wish I told them all to stuff it. I eventually just quit. The way they acted like they owned my every minute. I straight up "had" to neglect my health for almost a year because taking time off for appointments etc was frowned up. I wasn't even allow to socialize with other departments because I HAD TO BE WORKING!!!!!
You were there way too long and should have told them to stuff it!
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The cost code/billable line questions are correct. Don't debate them. Inform them that your time is NEVER free. If attending these meetings isn't part of your contract and prenegotiated compensation, their request must be accompanied with how you're being paid to accommodate it.
That's the issue though. It sure seems like these meeting are part of the contract, which if you read the texts from the boss it sounds like that's what he said.
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Bravo Choctaw Joe !! But, as to the article author, it's not "new" to set boundaries, it just isn't taught to any measurable degree, and therefore seems foreign to many, leasing to endless sources of frustration in all walks of life. If we all learned "How to Teach People How To Treat Us" otherwise known as "Setting Boundaries", then, . . .inspect what we expect, without being a__holes about it, then the pot won't have to boil over for so many, soooo often. The proverbial "line in the sand" must be established, and actually mean something!! Again, I say, "Bravo Joe" !!
I don't work for free my time is worth money. If you can't or refuse to pay for my gas and for my time then don't even bother to contact me. Time is money plus a stupid little sandwich isn't enough to make me come to a stupid meeting
Employer's seem so entitled these days. When I was working not only was I paid for my time but my classes were paid for when I needed update training and my milage and food was paid as well. I would take issue with this.
I would love to know if there was a response! I'm thinking the contractor got the last word, though! Love this!
Def more tactful ways mentioned a few times in the official post comments
Recently the office I support announced that the weekly staff meeting that was formerly done on Teams would be mandatory in person "to facilitate cross-team communication". So instead of using a system that allows you to have the slides at a comfortable distance, hear everyone at roughly the same volume, and have side bar chats with anyone else, we're now in an auditorium where the slides are projected to small to see, anyone more than 10 feet from you is inaudible, and you can only chat with those close by (at the expense of possibly missing something important).
I worked at LOWES when I decided to further my education by returning to college full-time. As an older adult with plenty of corporate experience that didn't even need the job, I set various expectations at the interview that they agreed to - one of which was that I don't work Black Fridays. First Black Friday rolls around and they have an all hands meeting at which the expectation is set that everyone will be there. After the meeting I pull the store manager aside and tell him that I won't be there and why. He says he'll need to check with HR and that he'll get back to me, but never heard anything back , but I wasn't worried and didn't care - didn't work it either. Nothing happened. They also had a weekly all hands meeting on Sundays that was outside of my scheduled work time - missed every single one of them. They would ask why I never showed up and I'd respond, "My shift is over at xx time. You want me to attend one of these, you'd better schedule them earlier."
Years ago I had a video production biz. I received a call from someone who wanted my services and gave her a quote including travel (about 100 miles) She insisted that I do it for free or she will have her nephew do it. I told her no and went on to tell her that she is doing a great job teaching her nephew that his labor has no value and hung up.
High 5, Phil Rubin!! You're Absolutely RIGHT! I hope her nephew values his self worth and gives it back to her with "What am I, chopped live?!"
Load More Replies...
I went through this when I was an independent contractor when I refused to donate my time to meetings long story short my contract was terminated from the owner of the messenger service while I had made a pick up needless to say The pickup was put to the side of the road and I left didn’t give a rats a**e since they didn’t care why should I the advantage of an independent contractor
I decided to treat my contractors with respect. Gave them easy terms, with honest tip paying, and true set your hours, choose your gig style. So far their lives have only improved. They can take their kids to school and don't have to worry about getting in trouble for refusing a gig. Live life, get paid for your work, show everyone appreciation.
I also had to drop a client after a 6 month experiment. She got offended when we said no, and tried to dig up dirt on us on Facebook. She posted the question 'had anyone used us?' and 'how was your experience?' To which, everyone posted glowing comments. I thanked her for letting me explain the policy (the one we rejected her because of). Haven't heard from her since (of course we also blocked her number).
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The meeting was called in secret. Forever known to history as 'the secret meeting on money' the events went like this. The morning overcast is breaking up as rays of sunlight beamed through the vapor making up the layer of moisture that veiled any sight of the sun. Coffee and danish accompanied the empty stomachs and the closed door meeting among those individuals who sat in refutation of the proposal. Viral walks in, dressed in comfort rather than business attire. Loafers, jeans, and a Handball sweatshirt referencing the American prisoner's helping hand in the debt crisis. The World Series of Handball was still not being mentioned in the media and the inmates liked it this way. Slowly snowballing the event into reality was their game plan. This is similar to a frog in the boiling pot logic if one needs a metaphor for the concept. As the president sets down the one page proposal through a thumb and index finger rub to the eyes expressing his headache. He finds no need for Advil as the
Sorry but as a contractor 100% of your time is billable, they pay you to attend or you aren't legally required to attend.
I'm a self employed bookkeeper and had to remind the man I was working with that he was NOT my boss, but in fact, my CLIENT. So when I tell you I won't be available on such & such date, I'm not asking you, I am informing you.
As someone who's had to go out of my way for years to attend team member meetings, I can absolutely say that most meetings don't need to be held in person! Not even on ZOOM actually! Subway needs to get with the times if they want to retain good employees...not force people to revert back in time to inefficient ways of doing things! Just send an email! If it's an in-person meeting with a large amount of staff a lot of people don't end up listening anyway! They end up talking amongst themselves! Certain meetings should be held in person...like when discussing lay-offs or other SERIOUS issues. Discussing the latest Subway sandwich probably doesn't apply. Corporations do a disservice by pushing the whole "We're a family" nonsense. Yes...you will probably develop close relationships with some of your co-workers...but ALWAYS remember THEY ARE NOT YOUR FAMILY! It is also important to have other relationships outside of people you work with. Hopefully it will come as less of a blow when lay-offs (even to the best employees) happen. That way you won't feel like you're losing your "family" as well as your job!
Had a similar situation. An employer decided that they wanted to have mandatory meetings at least once a quarter. However they scheduled them over our UNPAID lunch break. The first couple times, they had food catered in and nobody complained. Then we got another notice: All company meeting, Thursday 9-10. Food will be provided. (We worked 5-1:30). Got into he meeting and they had bananas and yogurt cups; and the bananas were gone. All they had left was peach yogurt (which I can't stand) and I'm lactose intolerant anyway. So after the meeting I left to get food. As I was getting into my car I was spotted by a manager who asked where I was headed; and I told him. I was hauled into HR the second I got back. They spent 10 minutes yelling at me while I just smiled. I think they thought I was deranged. I told them that it was against the LAW to have mandatory meetings during unpaid time; and State law also requires that if an employee works an 8 hour shift, they be given the opportunity to
-eat a meal. Since they said they were providing "food" I hadn't bothered to bring anything. "But we fed you," was the response. I told them it didn't matter what they provided, it's still against the law. Then I explained that the bananas were gone and the lactose. They seemed to want to press the issue. I said, "That's fine. We can take this up with the Department of Labor." Totally shut them up.
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OP is completely unprofessional and arrogant. He's absolutely replaceable. Welcome to the real world, young one. Sometimes you have to invest some of your own time to grow your business. Also, this is clearly a side hobby for him otherwise his "I'm not going to take time off work" statement makes no sense. I hope they end his contract. He's not worth it.
That is a great way to stay poor and be exploited.
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I clicked the link to go to the original post at Reddit. Guess what? It has been deleted. I guess he decided he didn't want to lose that job after all -- or who knows, maybe they told him he would get paid.
I hate how companies wave around their shitty policies like they're The Word of God. OP needs to wave his company's policies back at them in the same manner, watch their little corporate heads explode.
DoubleReputation2 had the best reply. I am not the proper type, yet I am highly in demand in my field. I would not be if I spoke or had a mentality like that. Though I highly suspect his post and the interaction are fake, as a contractor has a contract and if he was so in demand he would know how to navigate his contract. He never once mentioned brech of contract or the bounds of his contract. Major red flag for a professional IC. Guy .aybe worked for small maybe not even legal start up, as most undocumented freelancers do. And thinks of them as high level. Yet no one in this situation seems to understand the situation. Odd.
The boss in his texts also eluded to the meetings being in his contract, but never reinforced that after the response. I agree, this is fake.
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From the company man's response about these expectations having already been 'laid out' prior, it sounds like OP had the opportunity up front to ask about billing for this time but decided to stay quiet andhope it would just go away. Then when it turned out they were serious, he got an attitude about it. All very teen drama.
I had to explain to more than one client: “I have a line of potential clients who want me to work on their project, and they are NOT currently annoying me. Have you considered exactly what kind of leverage you have over me to attempt to treat me like this?”
I'm a photographer. Some a*****e thought they were doing me a favor by referring me to one of their equally shitty friends. This friend wanted 30 photo sessions done in one day as part of her pyramid scheming multi day seminar b******t that she charges an arm and a leg to attend...and she needs the photos retouched. Cool. I told her my hourly rate. This jackass tells me what I charge for one hour she'll pay me for the ENTIRE project. "But it's a great networking opportunity" to drum up more business. The exposure alone would practically pay for itself. When I balked at her low ball offer she replied with "but you're only going to spend 15 minutes shooting each person." I never responded and just blocked her. DSC0193Ret...9901ca.jpg
I haven't even attended meetings on my day off when I was an employee unless I was paid for it. No way would I do it as a contractor.
I was recently asked to attend an in-person meeting during a vacation week.
Load More Replies... Ooooh this burns me up. The tales I could tell about working as an Independent Contractor for The PGA TOUR. Same c**p. Like the time they hounded me almost hourly to attend The Players because the president wanted employees to show up because it looked good. Except oh wait, I wasn't actually an employee so I would have to go to the tournament, unpaid. Or the team building exercises that everyone else got paid for and got to go home early with pay, oh except I was an independent contractor so I didn't get paid and I didn't get to go home early. I really wish I told them all to stuff it. I eventually just quit. The way they acted like they owned my every minute. I straight up "had" to neglect my health for almost a year because taking time off for appointments etc was frowned up. I wasn't even allow to socialize with other departments because I HAD TO BE WORKING!!!!!
You were there way too long and should have told them to stuff it!
Load More Replies... The cost code/billable line questions are correct. Don't debate them. Inform them that your time is NEVER free. If attending these meetings isn't part of your contract and prenegotiated compensation, their request must be accompanied with how you're being paid to accommodate it.
That's the issue though. It sure seems like these meeting are part of the contract, which if you read the texts from the boss it sounds like that's what he said.
Load More Replies... Bravo Choctaw Joe !! But, as to the article author, it's not "new" to set boundaries, it just isn't taught to any measurable degree, and therefore seems foreign to many, leasing to endless sources of frustration in all walks of life. If we all learned "How to Teach People How To Treat Us" otherwise known as "Setting Boundaries", then, . . .inspect what we expect, without being a__holes about it, then the pot won't have to boil over for so many, soooo often. The proverbial "line in the sand" must be established, and actually mean something!! Again, I say, "Bravo Joe" !!
I don't work for free my time is worth money. If you can't or refuse to pay for my gas and for my time then don't even bother to contact me. Time is money plus a stupid little sandwich isn't enough to make me come to a stupid meeting
Employer's seem so entitled these days. When I was working not only was I paid for my time but my classes were paid for when I needed update training and my milage and food was paid as well. I would take issue with this.
I would love to know if there was a response! I'm thinking the contractor got the last word, though! Love this!
Def more tactful ways mentioned a few times in the official post comments
Recently the office I support announced that the weekly staff meeting that was formerly done on Teams would be mandatory in person "to facilitate cross-team communication". So instead of using a system that allows you to have the slides at a comfortable distance, hear everyone at roughly the same volume, and have side bar chats with anyone else, we're now in an auditorium where the slides are projected to small to see, anyone more than 10 feet from you is inaudible, and you can only chat with those close by (at the expense of possibly missing something important).
I worked at LOWES when I decided to further my education by returning to college full-time. As an older adult with plenty of corporate experience that didn't even need the job, I set various expectations at the interview that they agreed to - one of which was that I don't work Black Fridays. First Black Friday rolls around and they have an all hands meeting at which the expectation is set that everyone will be there. After the meeting I pull the store manager aside and tell him that I won't be there and why. He says he'll need to check with HR and that he'll get back to me, but never heard anything back , but I wasn't worried and didn't care - didn't work it either. Nothing happened. They also had a weekly all hands meeting on Sundays that was outside of my scheduled work time - missed every single one of them. They would ask why I never showed up and I'd respond, "My shift is over at xx time. You want me to attend one of these, you'd better schedule them earlier."
Years ago I had a video production biz. I received a call from someone who wanted my services and gave her a quote including travel (about 100 miles) She insisted that I do it for free or she will have her nephew do it. I told her no and went on to tell her that she is doing a great job teaching her nephew that his labor has no value and hung up.
High 5, Phil Rubin!! You're Absolutely RIGHT! I hope her nephew values his self worth and gives it back to her with "What am I, chopped live?!"
Load More Replies... I went through this when I was an independent contractor when I refused to donate my time to meetings long story short my contract was terminated from the owner of the messenger service while I had made a pick up needless to say The pickup was put to the side of the road and I left didn’t give a rats a**e since they didn’t care why should I the advantage of an independent contractor
I decided to treat my contractors with respect. Gave them easy terms, with honest tip paying, and true set your hours, choose your gig style. So far their lives have only improved. They can take their kids to school and don't have to worry about getting in trouble for refusing a gig. Live life, get paid for your work, show everyone appreciation.
I also had to drop a client after a 6 month experiment. She got offended when we said no, and tried to dig up dirt on us on Facebook. She posted the question 'had anyone used us?' and 'how was your experience?' To which, everyone posted glowing comments. I thanked her for letting me explain the policy (the one we rejected her because of). Haven't heard from her since (of course we also blocked her number).
Load More Replies... The meeting was called in secret. Forever known to history as 'the secret meeting on money' the events went like this. The morning overcast is breaking up as rays of sunlight beamed through the vapor making up the layer of moisture that veiled any sight of the sun. Coffee and danish accompanied the empty stomachs and the closed door meeting among those individuals who sat in refutation of the proposal. Viral walks in, dressed in comfort rather than business attire. Loafers, jeans, and a Handball sweatshirt referencing the American prisoner's helping hand in the debt crisis. The World Series of Handball was still not being mentioned in the media and the inmates liked it this way. Slowly snowballing the event into reality was their game plan. This is similar to a frog in the boiling pot logic if one needs a metaphor for the concept. As the president sets down the one page proposal through a thumb and index finger rub to the eyes expressing his headache. He finds no need for Advil as the
Sorry but as a contractor 100% of your time is billable, they pay you to attend or you aren't legally required to attend.
I'm a self employed bookkeeper and had to remind the man I was working with that he was NOT my boss, but in fact, my CLIENT. So when I tell you I won't be available on such & such date, I'm not asking you, I am informing you.
As someone who's had to go out of my way for years to attend team member meetings, I can absolutely say that most meetings don't need to be held in person! Not even on ZOOM actually! Subway needs to get with the times if they want to retain good employees...not force people to revert back in time to inefficient ways of doing things! Just send an email! If it's an in-person meeting with a large amount of staff a lot of people don't end up listening anyway! They end up talking amongst themselves! Certain meetings should be held in person...like when discussing lay-offs or other SERIOUS issues. Discussing the latest Subway sandwich probably doesn't apply. Corporations do a disservice by pushing the whole "We're a family" nonsense. Yes...you will probably develop close relationships with some of your co-workers...but ALWAYS remember THEY ARE NOT YOUR FAMILY! It is also important to have other relationships outside of people you work with. Hopefully it will come as less of a blow when lay-offs (even to the best employees) happen. That way you won't feel like you're losing your "family" as well as your job!
Had a similar situation. An employer decided that they wanted to have mandatory meetings at least once a quarter. However they scheduled them over our UNPAID lunch break. The first couple times, they had food catered in and nobody complained. Then we got another notice: All company meeting, Thursday 9-10. Food will be provided. (We worked 5-1:30). Got into he meeting and they had bananas and yogurt cups; and the bananas were gone. All they had left was peach yogurt (which I can't stand) and I'm lactose intolerant anyway. So after the meeting I left to get food. As I was getting into my car I was spotted by a manager who asked where I was headed; and I told him. I was hauled into HR the second I got back. They spent 10 minutes yelling at me while I just smiled. I think they thought I was deranged. I told them that it was against the LAW to have mandatory meetings during unpaid time; and State law also requires that if an employee works an 8 hour shift, they be given the opportunity to
-eat a meal. Since they said they were providing "food" I hadn't bothered to bring anything. "But we fed you," was the response. I told them it didn't matter what they provided, it's still against the law. Then I explained that the bananas were gone and the lactose. They seemed to want to press the issue. I said, "That's fine. We can take this up with the Department of Labor." Totally shut them up.
Load More Replies... OP is completely unprofessional and arrogant. He's absolutely replaceable. Welcome to the real world, young one. Sometimes you have to invest some of your own time to grow your business. Also, this is clearly a side hobby for him otherwise his "I'm not going to take time off work" statement makes no sense. I hope they end his contract. He's not worth it.
That is a great way to stay poor and be exploited.
Load More Replies... I clicked the link to go to the original post at Reddit. Guess what? It has been deleted. I guess he decided he didn't want to lose that job after all -- or who knows, maybe they told him he would get paid.
I hate how companies wave around their shitty policies like they're The Word of God. OP needs to wave his company's policies back at them in the same manner, watch their little corporate heads explode.
DoubleReputation2 had the best reply. I am not the proper type, yet I am highly in demand in my field. I would not be if I spoke or had a mentality like that. Though I highly suspect his post and the interaction are fake, as a contractor has a contract and if he was so in demand he would know how to navigate his contract. He never once mentioned brech of contract or the bounds of his contract. Major red flag for a professional IC. Guy .aybe worked for small maybe not even legal start up, as most undocumented freelancers do. And thinks of them as high level. Yet no one in this situation seems to understand the situation. Odd.
The boss in his texts also eluded to the meetings being in his contract, but never reinforced that after the response. I agree, this is fake.
Load More Replies... From the company man's response about these expectations having already been 'laid out' prior, it sounds like OP had the opportunity up front to ask about billing for this time but decided to stay quiet andhope it would just go away. Then when it turned out they were serious, he got an attitude about it. All very teen drama.
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