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Imagine if all jobs were filled like mystery shops...

September 21, 2023 11:17AM
Imagine if, at your workplace, everyone was an independent contractor and new work was posted on a web page with a brief description, fee, reimbursement, and possible bonus. You would compete with your peers for work everyday. Are you in?
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September 21, 2023 01:34PM
Umm... No. Very few people would even want to work the way that I do now; I would not need to compete for this. But the concept is interesting in terms of earning the privilege of remaining on the job. IS this an anti-union stance, maverick1?

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)
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September 21, 2023 08:29PM
I do take substitute teaching jobs off a very similar job board. No bonuses though.

I suppose I am competing with the other substitute teachers.

(And we do belong to a union)

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2023 08:30PM by prince.
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September 21, 2023 09:23PM
@prince wrote:

I do take substitute teaching jobs off a very similar job board. No bonuses though.

I suppose I am competing with the other substitute teachers.

(And we do belong to a union)

What happens if an upcoming sub gig goes unclaimed?

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)
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September 21, 2023 09:36PM
Well, they'll do a mass e-mail to every sub. Phone and text subs.

And then they just figure it out. Principal and VP go into class during their admin time. Teachers go into class during their prep.

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer
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September 21, 2023 11:31PM
I would pass. These jobs don't pay well enough for me to do it for a regular job. This is a great gig, but doesn't pay enough for a great job.

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.
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September 22, 2023 03:10AM
@maverick1, are you in?
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September 22, 2023 11:43AM
@Madetoshop wrote:

@maverick1, are you in?

Part of my career was performing assignments for a large government contractor. We bid (a formal proposal) on work per government specifications. We bid how many hours for each task. Internally, a program manager would review and question your effort / hours / dollar amount before the bid was submitted.

These assignments would take anywhere from months to years. There was competition between companies and between individuals. I also worked on drafting proposals. Several times all through the night. I can recall at least one time after all that effort was completed on the proposal, we were not awarded the contract.

Was it exactly like mystery shopping? Of course not!

But it was a concerted effort of always looking for work assignments. There were times of expanded employment and also times of layoffs (RiF - Reduction in Force). At times It was stressful. I did get the opportunity to do some interesting assignments in Western Europe.

Conclusion: Competition in an open marketplace works.
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September 23, 2023 02:33AM
I am in. 'Sitting on the bench' is not a good look. Regardless of bidding, the workplace is and will continue to be competitive. It's up to you whether you want to play or not. Circumstances play a big factor.
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September 25, 2023 08:22PM
My work kind of comes into a queue, so my team grabs our work in a similar fashion. Sometimes it's based on the relationship with the submitter, sometimes if it's an area of focus or something we want to learn more about.
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September 25, 2023 08:34PM
I think I would compete. I've worked with many people who didn't pull their weight and I think this would be more likely exposure them. They wouldn't finish the jobs they accepted by the required dates.

But how does this business model account for nepotism and office politics/favoritism.

I was forced to change positions with a VP's husband. It was deemed unethical he worked under his wife after an HR compliant. I WAS promised they wouldn't lay me off in the first round but got axed in the second. As far as I know he's still there 10 years later even though his VP wife took her golden parachute about two years after I was laid off.

I had no recourse that I could find.
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