Contractors Excluded From Inclusivity Event
I've been a 40 hour per week on-site 100% of the time contractor / consultant / permatemp for my entire professional career, and I'm pretty used to not being invited to "full-time" employee-only events. I just find it especially ironic to be excluded from Actelion's Diversity and Inclusion event tonight. But hey, at least they let the contractors scavenge the leftover food like stray dogs. So that's a plus.
Nothing unusual about that
Your problem is with US law, not your company.
They invite us to some things but not others. Example: the summer BBQ you are allowed to go to, but you just have to buy a ticket so they know how much food to make. The employees don't have to pay, and in my mind that's 100% okay. This is not a US law issue, it's a consistency and consideration issue.
You’re not an employee
Companies have been sued for benefits when they blur the line between contractor and FTE. You can thank the recent $150 million class action lawsuit for that.
Or thank the OG lawsuit: the Microsoft permatemp
Contractors =/= FTEs. What’s confusing you?
You own a company A dollar spent on employee activities is now a dollar taken from revenue margin. Or you only have so much opex budget Half your employees are A-players that passed a higher interview bar, are going to stay long term, and make critical business decisions The rest are replaceable tactical headcount who probably won’t spend a large part of their professional career with you What would you do?
Why don’t you interview and change job?
Do you invite your client firm to events at your (contractor) company?
They did you a favor letting you avoid their political circlejerk.
They also do us favors by not converting us to full-time employees and giving us health benefits and paid time off.
If you think you’re cut out for it apply for a job that is full time?