As a very high-tech tech writer at a Fortune 500 where none of their tech writers were ever given permanent positions but frequently led major projects so they couldn't figure out if we were "staff" or "management"......(big deep breath)
They decided to split the difference and invite the female tech writers to their new "Women in Management" discussion group in the mid-Nineties. Mind you, some tech writers had been contractors there for more than ten years, I had been kicking around for three or four. Everybody at the meeting agreed that there was a glass ceiling and it could be broken. Those who were breaking it expressed frustration and even anger over their perception that they were not going to go anywhere unless they learned how to play golf. Oh, and in case anybody is wondering -- when I brought up the question about permanent status their answer was that they could not hire anybody without a clear career path and they didn't have one for tech writers. They got around the Federal regulations about "employee" and "contractor" definitions by ending a contract and letting somebody sit unemployed for a few months, then hiring them back -- sometimes on the same project -- through another agency. Dori Green ______________________________________________ Are you a Help Authoring Trainer or Consultant? Let clients find you at www.HAT.Matrix.com, the searchable HAT database based on Char James-Tanny's HAT Comparison Matrix. Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] for details. Interested in Interactive 3D Documentation? Get the scoop at http://www.doc-u-motion.com -- your 3D documentation community. _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
