Day Rate + Work hour expectations

[Forgotmylogin]

You do understand that being a slaver is probably better than being a slave don't you? That's twice you've said about contractors being slavers as if it's a bad thing (other than, you know, the moral problem of owning people).

I do the work needed to deliver what I'm contracted to do. I charge a daily rate - what that day actually is will vary. At some stages in a project I won't have a great deal to do (generally as I'm waiting on someone else) and I'll head home an hour or so early. At other stages I'll put in a full day and then a few extra hours in the evening, or work at the weekend. I don't keep track of shorter / longer days or try to make the hours balance out - I'm not a paid-by-the-hour clock watcher. If I deliver what I've been contracted to deliver that's what matters.

[LondonManc]

I think comments on here are often specific to a role so I'll state that I'm a production DBA.

I've worked in permanent roles where the culture was long hours and ignored it.
In my contracts I explain that I have a long enough day with the travelling and they should only expect 7-8hrs.

If there is something which I think is important I will promise to look at it in the evening after I get home. If it's a real crisis I will stay and work on it. When I work on it from home I will send an email summarizing the situation before I go to bed. I will normally turn in late the following day or tell them I'll work from home.

Note that missing some arbitrary deadline set by an arse of a PM that requires the whole team to work over the weekend to make him look good is not a good reason to put the hours in.

At the end of the day, if you do a good job and hit the deadlines YOU have committed to they accept you.

Best. Sentence. Ever.

[WTFH]

Talking out of your backside. In almost 12 years of contracting and most of that in the London Investment Banking sector I've never met a single individual who's worked those kind of hours. Never. Not one. What are you? Some kind of junior doctor. lol.

Anybody who claims to work in excess of maybe 9 hours on a regular basis is either completely useless at their role, spineless at their inability to stand up to their clients demands, a permie in disguise or deluding themselves that anything they do after say 8 hours is in any way effective. We're human beings not machines.

Ah, an investment banker.


No, I'm not a junior doctor, but in 18 years of contracting in real industry where they actually produce and ship products, rather than play with virtual money, when it comes to delivering to a deadline, you deliver. At cutover and go-live, you need to keep the business running.
I don't claim to work over 9 hours per day regularly, but I put in the hours when it is called for, and if that means doing 12 hour days for 10 days in a row, that's what I'll do. And I normally get appropriately thanked for it.

[psychocandy]

Current client has been the only one who has given me problems with number of hours worked. They dropped another contractor then told me I needed to work overtime to do the work because they were 'paying me enough'. We didn't manage the solve that one so are parting company shortly!!

Good for you.

PWD is 8 hours in my head. If things go wrong then yes I will stay as long as it takes. Its nice if client notices this and is flexible back in return. (i.e. leave early). If they don't then this may affect my decision at renewal time. If things go "wrong" too often then this may also affect my decision and make it unworkable to fit in with my family.

Too much work is NOT my cue to work longer hours. Not my circus, not my monkeys - resource issues are not my problem. And neither is the argument that I get paid loads.

Clients can differ a lot. I had an interview once where they said they expected contractors to work 10 hours min a day - get another mug for that one.

I've also had a client where I stayed until 1am to sort something out with no extra payment. Then a few days later bitched when I came in at 10am after a doctors appointment.

Current client is excellent though. Continually telling me to record every time, even 30 mins, I work over 7.5 hours and then when I want to take a day but book it. I don't feel I should do this so only do it if its a couple of hours extra I work in a day.

Way I look at it if you go into client and work extra from day one they're going to expect it. I start as I mean to go on - after all first week theres usually bugger all going on so whats the point in hanging around to look good?

Most clients will work out that, fair enough, you will hang around if you're really needed. Not all will and will expect extras for free and bitch if you leave on time.
My approach to new gigs is oh well if they have a problem, I dont want to work there anyway, so we'll just see it out and get something else and good luck finding another mug.

[b0redom]

I always have the conversation fairly early on and say, do you want me to:

1) Down tools at the end of the day
2) Pay overtime
3) Have an informal gentleman's agreement

Almost everywhere has said 3, unless there's a major deadline looming and they need a lot of extra time to be worked.

[vwdan]

I take the attitude of "I'm paid to deliver". Most of the time I can deliver based on an 8-9 hour day. Sometimes that goes over 10 hours at times of higher pressure. If it hits 12 hours then I'll make sure the client/agent is aware and we sort out a deal on it. If I'm staying in a hotel and have nothing better to do, then I don't mind as much.
Most clients are flexible on that one. e.g. "you worked 10 hour days Tues-Thurs, so go home at lunch on Friday and bill us for a full day."

Yep, pretty much this.

[nomadd]

..and if that means doing 12 hour days for 10 days in a row, that's what I'll do. And I normally get appropriately thanked for it.

With that approach, you've made a lot of folks rich in your career.

I don't use your approach, and have only made one person rich.

See if you can figure out who that is?

[LucidDementia]

With that approach, you've made a lot of folks rich in your career.

I don't use your approach, and have only made one person rich.

See if you can figure out who that is?

In my experience folk who call themselves rich really aren't.

It funny how much IR35 is discussed with concern over distancing from being overpaid permies in disguise.
Ironic that this is exactly what most of you are.

[nomadd]

It funny how much IR35 is discussed with concern over distancing from being overpaid permies in disguise.

Ironic that this is exactly what most of you are.

Yeah, you tell 'em.

Better still, report them all to the local tax office.

[SussexSeagull]

At the end of the day it is all about give and take and it varies from contract to contract. For me the default position is to do your normal hours unless you encounter something exceptional.

Whatever you do don't go down the road of doing ten hour days just because everyone else seems to be regardless of how much work is on.

Be flexible but don't sell your soul.