Daily rate - attitude to hours worked etc

[psychocandy]

How do most of you handle this?

Is it a case of ask the client when they want you in the office? (although isnt this a little anti-IR35)

Or do you just turn up when you want and leave when you want but manage your own time so you do enough hours in the week and/or get the job done?

Or do you ask permission from client to come in early/ leave early etc?

Also, assuming theres nothing urgent going on, do you tend to work over 7.5/8 hours to make a good impression or not bother with things like that?

[youwhut]

For me this has varied on different contracts.

Most recent contract I agreed to be paid for extra hours. BUT I was working autonomously and I think that makes a difference. I have worked in other very competitive teams and you can suddenly find yourself working those extra unpaid hours.

When working away from home I have put in the extra hours for no extra payment when appropriate. Sometimes it is worth staying back for extra time when there is nothing more exciting to do. I treat it as educating myself on something interesting.

I think it can be difficult to discuss flexible working hours but it is something you can gauge with the client once you are onsite. It is definitely the attitude of most contractors to arrive at 9am and leave at 5pm bang on but it is not always appropriate. I am always conscious that the extra hours I spend onsite without being paid I am diluting my hourly rate.

[SneakySimon]

Daily Rate / Hours

I don't think that the daily rate really correlates to the hours.

I always go with the flow for the first few weeks - don't do insane hours as that sets a precendent, but say 8.30 - 5.30 / 6pm is good, check the politics, see what the others do (contract and perm) and also your bosses attitude to hours.

I have never heard of a person being got rid of for doing 9-5 but may make a differnce around contract renewal time. Unless you can become irreplacable!!

[Scrag Meister]

This depends on the role you have.

I general do 8-5, but don't mind the occasional longer shift when required, but I definitely don't expect 12 hours every day, and occasional leave early if I have something else on.

I need to be available most of the time that the markets are open, so there is little flexibility with this, as I am the only dev/support person in our area. Been described as a single point of failure, but I don't fail, not yet anyway.

Its a matter of being professional, but also not being owned by your contract. Work life balance.

[dang65]

I've done long hours when working away from home, mainly because I didn't really have anything else to do. That doesn't mean I was working 10 hours a day or whatever, just in the office. When I'm working near home I stick to 9am-5.30pm from the start. Even that adds up to more than the contracted hours as I only take a quick snack break at lunchtime.

I've been amazed recently at the basic hours which so many permies do these days. In fact, my current client is the first place I've come across in several years where everyone goes home around 5.30pm. It's one of the most organised, productive and also friendly and relaxed places I've ever worked at.

There's something totally counter-productive about ridiculously long work days. In the end people start wandering in later and later, and staying later and later. One place I worked, someone phoned me to ask a question at 4am! WTF? The project manager was doing normal hours and would only see his team for about 3 hours each day because of their stupid work times. That was stopped after a while, obviously, but it got very silly.

[SueEllen]

Depends totally.

For example I've done projects with a team where one guy was basically nocturnal. It was fine as we were working from home but it just meant that we had to be flexible with meeting times.

One place I was coming in between 7.30-8am because from around 7.15 to 8.30am was the only times I could have any questions answered by the person on the client site responsible for the project.

However most places I'm around from 10am-4pm because that's when most of the permies and other staff are in who I need to interact with.

I also don't ask clients when I can have time off I look what is suppose to be happening in the project when and then tell them I'm not in this day.

[psychocandy]

Whats everyones attitude to first days in a contract?

Just started one where Ive got no email, just a borrowed laptop, no access to work etc. Also, there doesnt seem to be much of a plan in place to help me get up to speed with things. Im more than willing to crack on and learn stuff but I need access. Thing is they dont seem that bothered and apparently pc will take a week!!!!!

In this case, do you hang around 9-5.30 or whatever for the sake of it? Theres only so much reading manuals you can do so theres not much point IMHO.

Of course, if and when things get busier, I'll hang around a bit more....

[Scrag Meister]

Whats everyones attitude to first days in a contract?

Just started one where Ive got no email, just a borrowed laptop, no access to work etc. Also, there doesnt seem to be much of a plan in place to help me get up to speed with things. Im more than willing to crack on and learn stuff but I need access. Thing is they dont seem that bothered and apparently pc will take a week!!!!!

In this case, do you hang around 9-5.30 or whatever for the sake of it? Theres only so much reading manuals you can do so theres not much point IMHO.

Of course, if and when things get busier, I'll hang around a bit more....

Thats the life of a contractor, have a friend of mine who has started at my ClientCo and he has barely done anything useful for 10 days.

1. Keep pressing to get the required items completed.
2. Learn what you can.
3. Post on CUK.
4. and most importantly, invoice.

[psychocandy]

Thats the life of a contractor, have a friend of mine who has started at my ClientCo and he has barely done anything useful for 10 days.

1. Keep pressing to get the required items completed.
2. Learn what you can.
3. Post on CUK.
4. and most importantly, invoice.

I never understand how a client can claim they need a contractor urgently, pay them £100s a day and then not even bother to think of things like getting resources sorted !!!!!

Yeh. I'm happy to push to get things sorted but sometimes I guess it can come across as being a pain in the a**e hassling the permies or manager or whatever?

[northernladuk]

Yeh. I'm happy to push to get things sorted but sometimes I guess it can come across as being a pain in the a**e hassling the permies or manager or whatever?

You don't say.