Why do ETW’s continue to be ETW’s?

I have a question for ETW’s and it’s a sincere one. I’m not trying to be smarmy in asking this question.

I see many of you complain about the fact that you’re ETW’s and that you can’t find a FTE job at Nike. I can understand how that would be frustrating. I also started my career as an ETW myself so I understand why people might initially go that route; especially when you’re younger and don’t have a ton of work experience.

What I DON’T understand is why some of you stay on as perma-ETW’s and then complain that you’re perma-ETW’s. My question is: Why do you do this?

The job market is smoking hot right now and anyone with even sorta in-demand skills who can undergo an interview without turning into a pile of jello should have no problems whatsoever finding a good job. So why do some of you NOT find a new job and instead continue working for Nike for years, complaining about your situation constantly? I honestly don’t understand it.

When I was an ETW it was because I was right out of college and I didn’t have much experience. For me it was a foot in the door. But I also told myself I wasn’t going to allow any company to keep me on forever as a contractor. If they didn’t offer me a full time job within 2 years I interpreted that as the company tacitly saying “You’re never going to work here as an employee”. And in that case I would just go somewhere else. I did get hired on full-time after about 15 months; right around the time I told my manager I was soon going to start looking for another job if they didn’t wish to hire me full time. I meant it, too. I simply wasn’t willing to be the temporary hired help forever.

So what am I missing here? Why do some of you remain ETW’s if you don’t want to be ETW’s? It’s one thing if you actually like being temp rather than perm. And I’m not talking about people who purposely choose that route. I’m talking about people who feel stuck as ETW’s but keep working as ETW’s nonetheless. If Nike isn’t hiring you FTE then why are you sticking around? Why are you not looking for jobs at other companies? Or if you are, why are those companies not hiring you? Especially in this job market where, again, even mediocre candidates are being picked up if they have at least marginal job skills? What’s the deal???

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8 replies (most recent on top)

@4dcj even if your salary was increased...most of the time cost of a ETW is about the same or more as cost of a FTE. In your case your contract company was making a lot of money on you.

Because most other places are even worse.

To the person who said "I’m sure they are making a lot more money as contractors..." - In most cases ETW's earn less, with poorer benefits. Only the ones working through high-end consulting companies are likely to make more as an ETW. When I was converted from ETW to FTE my annual income increased significantly.

As others said " no performance reviews". I checked in with my agency contact and my team lead during meetings. The discussion of raises or evaluations rarely comes up. The managers are so busy they either A) Don't have time to perform reviews B) Figure if they have you as a contractor, which are renewed every 3 months. The motivation to discuss anything is low because they keep you in constant suspense. C) The managers won't let convert ETW's to " head count" so they keep you around as a " cheap" form of labor which is called what External Temporary Workers.

@1mrp

The thing with ETWs is that there's really no performance evaluations where this could happen. It's not your manager or Nike's job to grow your career since you're just there to do the work they put in front of you. You'll typically have 1:1's with your manager, but there's not a ton they can do for you other than listen to your complaints. I feel like they'd rather keep someone on who is good enough than to bring in another person who may or may not work out.

I know you say you’re not trying to be smarmy, but you come across as an a*e with a superiority complex.

These replies are honestly horrifying. It might be hard to say but giving someone honest feedback about their performance is the only way to help someone - if they have no clue what they’re doing wrong they’ll never be able to fix it and if someone’s not a “culture fit” (that is a whole other can of worms) then why even keep them on as an ETW? Do them a favor and be honest so they can move on

As much as it sucks to say, I feel like it boils down to a culture fit. I’ve seen some ETWs get converted within a year while others hang on for years. Some seem to be fine with that arrangement - I’m sure they are making a lot more money as contractors and don’t mind staying out of the politics. Others hang on for years and are clearly miserable. Those are the ones where I feel people caught on to their personality issues early on and they just never got the clue that their work was valued more than what they contributed culturally. It’s like a bad smell that never leaves but people are generally too polite to bring up the elephant in the room.

Depending on where you work in the company being a “people person” and fitting the Nike mold will get you hired almost every time. Sometimes you just need to look in the mirror and ask yourself if this was high school would the people on your team be the ones you’d be hanging out with.

Can’t answer your question OP other than to say some of the ETW’s I’ve worked with at Nike aren’t as good as they think they are. We had one ETW in particular who stayed around for years complaining that she couldn’t get brought on FTE. She was a nice enough person so nobody had the heart to tell her that everyone else’s perception of her work differed greatly from her own perception of her work.

Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

Why do ETW’s continue to be ETW’s?

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