Disproportionate compliance process cost me a confirmed role
I was engaged through my own Pty Ltd for a 1 month contract. I carry my own public liability, professional indemnity, and WorkSafe insurance and the client had no employer risk exposure whatsoever. Despite this, Michael Page's compliance team applied a full permanent-hire reference check process to what was a short-term B2B engagement.
My nominated referees completed a lengthy online form in full. They were then called separately, which they found excessive and burdensome and they had already provided comprehensive responses in writing. Lost the role entirely due to delays within their compliance process.
Most significantly, a former employer was contacted at the insistence of the compliance team not nominated by me. I left that organisation to start a directly competing consultancy, making their reluctance to provide a reference a straightforward commercial conflict of interest. This was foreseeable, raised by me at the time, and ignored.
The process was rigid, poorly calibrated for contracting, and ultimately cost me a confirmed engagement. Contractors operating through their own entities should expect this firm's compliance framework to treat them as permanent employees regardless of the commercial reality.