Flex working in a contract

[malandri]

Dear all,

I have just managed to get my first 6 month contract with a very good rate. My only issue is that the job is 2 hours away from home and it doesn't make any sense commuting there every day. I first thought of staying in a hotel for the week and go back home at the weekend which is probably ok and what most of contractors do. However, i keep thinking about trying to negotiate working from home on Thursdays/Fridays so that i need to be there only from Monday to Wednesday ( and if i go there Monday morning and come back Wednesday evening, i will be only spending 2 nights in a hotel).

Were some of you in a similar situation and what was the clients reaction?

Thanks

[The Lone Gunman]

It depends on the client. Some will some wont.

Go and talk to your "line manager". Tell them what you just told us.
Be professional about it.

[G8_Summit]

In a previous contract the line manager would not let me work from home at all, although he was quite happy for me to arrive at 10:30 on Mondays and leave at 12 on Fridays.

Still meant 4 nights a week away from home - I ended up renting a bedsit which worked out much cheaper than B&Bs or hotels.

[boredsenseless]

Really depends on the client and the work...

Some work really requires you to be on-site if not for access to systems maybe just for team morale.

But they are usually sensible and if there is a solution that suits all you'll probably be allowed to use it

[ladymuck]

I always take travelling time to the site in consideration before even applying for a contract. The way I see it, if I'm willing to put myself forward for the job then the travelling time/hotel arrangements must be acceptable to me. It's not the client's fault that you don't live 10mins down the road from the site.

[~Craig~]

does that not put a dent in your expenses a bit?

[malandri]

The best way to increase your real net pay is not to make expences. If i pay for 4 days hotel/week , the money ending in my pocket will be less compared to when i pay for 2 days.

Thank you for your responses, i will try to talk to my line manager and see how it goes !

[thunderlizard]

Really depends on the kind of work you're doing. If it's e.g. a solo development cycle it makes more sense - if it's on-demand support, less so. You might have more change of convincing the client if you say it's something you plan to do after a month or two, during which time you can prove you're not a rip-off merchant.

tl

[handsfree]

What I do

Commit yourself to staying in a b&b all week for the first 2 to 3 weeks. Concentrate on getting the project off the ground (if it's a project-based contract). The impression people have of you in these early weeks will stick. Gain a reputation very early on for being hard working and professional - remember the client doesn't care in the slightest about your travel and accommodation arrangements - that's one of the advantages, from their point of view, of hiring a contractor.

Then after a couple of weeks, once the project is off the ground and people are happy with your work, say to your line manager "I'm going to work from home this friday". Don't ask permission, just state it matter of factly. Don't give a reason, but if pressed for one, find some reasonable personal/family/health excuse. He might look a bit begruntled that you didn't ask, or he might raise some objections, but stand your ground (unless he really point-blankly says you can't do that).

Then build on that. Make sure everyone knows what work you did on the day you worked from home, and how much you got done, and then a couple of weeks later, say you're going to work from home Thursday and Friday this week.

Alternatively, if this doesn't work for you, rent a cheap bedsit or room in a shared house, and either ride the 6 months out like a professional contractor, or spend the evenings sitting in the dark on your own, kicking yourself for being such a plonker for taking a contract when the location was unsuitable for you.

[rootsnall]

I think you've got to gain yourself a bit if power first by putting in some early hard graft and getting some of the work under your control and then negotiate/hint unoffiicially to your manager. I always reckon getting the chance to do your hours in 4 long days is the ultimate ie. Friday off. I've managed this on a few sites but in nearly all cases everybody starts asking for special treatment and eventually there will be a clampdown. If I was the manager paying the bills I wouldn't let contractors get away with it but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.