Should you do long hours just because the company's employees do long hours?

[northernladuk]

How do you deal with a bitchy contractor colleague who work from 10 to 6 but start bitching about you to your manager if you work from 8 to 4. As it happens many times system problems crop up in the afternoon and when you leave it does not reflect well on you.

Deliver better than he does.

[BR14]

Deliver better than he does.

or give him a slap?

[LondonManc]

Ask why problems don't occur on your watch but do on theirs....

[psychocandy]

730pm every day just because the permies do - no way no way no way.
If there an emergency then I'll stay otherwise nope not going to happen on a regular basis.

Assuming you're on daily rate - the extra 2/2.5 hours sort of waters it down a bit doesnt it?

My attitude to this sort of gig is no thanks - get some other mug to do the extra hours.

[WLB2018]

My contract states 30 hours per week - 7 hours a day (1 hour for lunch). Timesheets are signed off so everyone is happy.

Now... I have been asked on two occasions to work later, instead of claiming extra time I simply 'bank' the time and use it to leave earlier another day.

Client is happy with it.

Just work your contracted hours, apply some common sense and you are sorted.

WLB.

[washed up contractor]

Hi,

Recently I have seen some varying work cultures through consulting.

With a previous client in the countryside the work was quite flexible as long as you did your 37.5hrs a week. I know this doesn't apply as a contractor.

In the current project the client is Spanish, the team I work with usually start at 9am and work until 7.30pm. Lunch is usually at 2-3pm.

The company is based in the UK and the UK workers tend to leave by around 5.30pm but it's a interesting mix.

So should you do long hours just because the company's immediate employees do long hours? Or stick to your standard schedule as a contractor?

An issue also is they have no idea how to manage tasks and time it takes to complete it.

These people who do these long hours also live closer to the office i.e. 5mins from the hotel, or 20min bus ride away whereas as a contractor you might have 45-90min commute every day.

Thoughts?

Well if you ISS colleagues are doing 18 hour days then yes, you should too else you might find there's no seat for you in the Soyuz for the return to Earth trip!

[gables]

How do you deal with a bitchy contractor colleague who work from 10 to 6 but start bitching about you to your manager if you work from 8 to 4. As it happens many times system problems crop up in the afternoon and when you leave it does not reflect well on you.

Maybe explain to your manager that by you doing 8-4 and your colleague doing 10-6 there is coverage over the extended period 8-6 which is hopefully preferable to just 10-6.

[northernladuk]

Well if you ISS colleagues are doing 18 hour days then yes, you should too else you might find there's no seat for you in the Soyuz for the return to Earth trip!

Can I have some of what you are on please?

[FK1]

Did he try resolve this with you? Surely he didn't just bin you without speaking to you about it? Bearing in mind we've another person on the forums as we speak who's been canned over times and I've seen plenty pulled up about it I think it would be wrong to assume you can waltz on when you want and be surprised when the client isn't happy. Flexibility isn't always a given.

Yes, he tried. He told me I should be at 9am. I argued that I am a contractor and will be at 9 am only when it will be a scheduled meeting.

I did not take that odd person seriously as I was introduced to a lead developer and was given a fully independent task for that 2-week only assignment.

Yes, flexibility was not given. But I think that alpha-male personality factor that anything else.
On both sides.

[northernladuk]

No winking in prof forums please.