What constitutes a 'day' when on 'daily rate'

[bellymonster]

Just started a new contract on a daily rate and the existing contractor onsite tells me he did 47 hours overtime in one week, UNPAID!!

When you're on a daily rate, how many hours are you really expected to work?

For what it's worth I think he's a chump and deserves to be a permie.

[kirk]

I'm contracted for a Professional Working Week; which constitutes anything from 37 to 47 hours per work; average being 42 - basically, whatever is needed for the project....

[Gros]

My contract is based on an 8 hour day. Any overtime is to be agreed in advance with the manager, so I'm out of the door on time each day.

[Vito]

Do a search on the General Board and you'll find a long thread about this...

[malvolio]

Do a search on the General Board and you'll find a long thread about this...

Summarised as "You work between five minutes and 23 hours 59 minutes in any 24 period, you charge a day". Simple, really...

[rootsnall]

Just started a new contract on a daily rate and the existing contractor onsite tells me he did 47 hours overtime in one week, UNPAID!!

When you're on a daily rate, how many hours are you really expected to work?

For what it's worth I think he's a chump and deserves to be a permie.

I agree, I always used to insist on a definition of the working day in my contract. My recent ones still contained it and I didn't argue, I'd sooner be 'IR35ed' than expected to work overtime for nothing.

[Old Greg]

Summarised as "You work between five minutes and 23 hours 59 minutes in any 24 period, you charge a day". Simple, really...

What about four and a half minutes? Not so simple now.

[n5gooner]

I'm on a day rate for this new gig, and I work 9-5(ish) well 9-4 with 90 minutes in the gym if I'm honest. but sometimes I work until 1930, sometimes I'll come in late or leave early...

[oraclesmith]

I'm on a nominal 8 hour day rate but because I'm currently doing project and programme management I have had some huge variations in my working days. Some days when the need is great I've been working until midnight or later and sometimes (when I've got ahead of the game) I've had much less to do so I've taken a few liberties. It's been pretty much my choice how many actual hours I put in and I work where and when I like.

In my case, it reinforces the fact that it's a B2B arrangement and more related to deliverables than simply hours worked.

If I was working in an area with steady demand - eg. system support; then there would be a need to limit the number of hours which constitute a 'day', because there are never any slack periods.

[bellymonster]

Ok, did a search and found the mammoth discussion, which give lots of different theories.

Sure, I can understand the 'stay until the work is done' ethos, but if I stuck to that I'd never go home. There will always be work that needs doing and lots of it out of hours. Should I be expected to work 9 til 6 and then an extra 3 hours doing out of hours work OR should I really be coming in at 12 instead.

Has anyone ever lost a contract (particularly a support contract) because they didn't want to work evenings and weekends?

I've had a situation before where a contract was shift work, doing earlies and lates, and a week after starting the boss decided he needed 24/7 cover and I was doing nights all of a sudden.