

This is how to get paid to develop your startup - CyberFonic
http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Benched.aspx
Sally missed her chance.  Instead of watching TV whilst on the bench, she could have gotten a startup running and being paid for it.  Now what was the name of that consulting firm?
======
thejo
Some hyperbole, but the general idea that employees are on the bench for a
very long time is true. I spent the first year of my career at a large
services company and saw a number of friends go through this. It may seem
surprising that people are paid when they don't have anything to do, but
that's part of the business model. The companies want to be able to say, "we
have 300 people ready to start now if you sign the contract". If I'm not
mistaken, 20-25% of the workforce can be on the bench at any given time.

The sad part is that new college grads are thrilled that they get paid without
having to do anything, which is dumb. Some of the most productive time of
their lives is lost forever.

~~~
potatolicious
Indeed. I'm surprised she just sat around and did nothing - if I were in that
situation I'd be ecstatic about getting the money, but very concerned about
what this does to my employability down the line.

If I interviewed someone with "two years" of experience in-industry, and it
turns out that all they've done since graduation is sit around and chew corn
flakes... well, there are a lot more qualified people out there.

------
dasil003
I don't believe this story. Oh I'm sure there's a kernel of truth in there,
but I think it's mostly made up.

~~~
barmstrong
Agreed. It paralleled my experience at Deloitte Consulting almost exactly up
until they said 11 months of being "on the bench".

It was more like 3 weeks in my case probably (and after that consistent mind
numbing 50 hour weeks). And during my short time in consulting I never met
anyone else who was "on the bench" longer than maybe 3-4 weeks or so.

So yeah, I'd say the story is either exaggerated or an anomaly.

~~~
fbnt
In my experience in Accenture I've seen several people 'benched' during a re-
assignment, in some extreme cases for as much as 3 weeks - 1 month, but eleven
months is utterly exaggerated. This is obviously bogus. Plus, when you're in
stand-by you're supposed to be at the company's main offices (normally, you'd
be working at the client's premises) doing online or offline training.

------
Tichy
If you start a startup on company time, the company might end up owning your
startup.

~~~
nandemo
What if you work in the night and then sleep 9 to 5pm? Then you would be
working at your time, and only sleeping at company time.

~~~
rubinelli
It doesn't matter. They way they word the contract, it looks as if they could
claim your firstborn as company property.

~~~
loewenskind
Just because something is written in a contract (which you may have signed in
preference to starving or losing your house) doesn't mean it can be enforced.

Imagine if a company wrote in the fine print that if you cost them money they
can kill you. Do you think they would be allowed to because you signed the
contract?

~~~
Tichy
Sure, but that doesn't imply that nothing that is in a contract can be
enforced. Do you have some information as to the enforceability of disowning
moonlighters?

~~~
loewenskind
Well, I was under the impression that if one clause in the contract is
unenforceable then the whole thing is invalid (in the US). Am I incorrect?

>Do you have some information as to the enforceability of disowning
moonlighters?

Enforceability? You mean if you moonlight they fire you? Well, I'm sure they
can find a reason to fire you any time they want for whatever reason, but
hopefully they will only even know about your moonlighting because it was
successful enough that you don't need them anymore.

------
cmars232
Reminds me a bit of IBM Global Services in the late 90s.

~~~
scrrr
I can relate. Lots of Benchtime and then suddendly you have to travel across
the continent to do work you're not interested in. That's consulting in a big
company..

To be fair, the first year I was part of a great team with an excellent boss
that mentored me and taught me a lot about business, sales and managing
people. Then he left and so did I. also never regretted that decision.

------
RoyceFullerton
My advice to her: Go on. Be a tiger.

------
ebun
These types of things do happen at consulting firms but you never know how
long you'll be on the bench till you get your next gig.

Because of that, I don't know if it's any more conducive to developing a
startup than any other situation. You could very easily go from the bench to
an 80hr/week project in short amount of time. If I were developing something
on the side, I'd rather have more of a set, regular schedule.

~~~
dasil003
...and no money?

~~~
ebun
Not saying I'd be jobless, just having a set schedule. :)

As someone who worked for a major technology consulting firm, I can tell you
how difficult it can be.

------
helwr
I've had exactly this kind of experience working for a Big 4 consulting firm a
couple of years back

------
hartror
What a fantastic opportunity to start a side business and work on it full
time!

