Client late authorising electronic timesheet - what should I do?

[expat]

It may be in the contract that the timesheet has to be approved, but is the deadline specified in the contract, or are the agency just taking it upon themselves to pay late if the timesheet is not approved by some arbitrary deadline?

[SimonMac]

It may be in the contract that the timesheet has to be approved, but is the deadline specified in the contract, or are the agency just taking it upon themselves to pay late if the timesheet is not approved by some arbitrary deadline?

They won't pay without a timesheet signed, they will then say that it has to follow using billing cycles so if you miss the weeks cut off you will just be put into the next billing cycle

[MrMarkyMark]

Some good advice thus far.

Is waiting outside, wearing a mask and donning some stranglers gloves, then giving him a chinning an option?

If you do a proper job, then someone else will be put in charge of authorising your time sheet.

[unixman]

It happened to me once. Client manager was nice guy but a fool. Signed my time sheets typically 5 or 6 days late. After I spoke to him about it, it changed to 10 days. I requested a private meeting. Instead, he brought the matter up at the next team meeting, which he chaired, and where he dealt with it by simply mentioning my time sheets and the fact I needed them signed. There was no discussion and I didn't get to say anything, and matters did not improve.

A couple of times I put the time sheet on his (almost empty) desk on Friday afternoon, and he would go home without signing it 2 hours later.

I spoke to the agent who was helpful and spoke to the manager immediately. I was told he manager thought it was his "right" to delay sign off because his contract with the agency said "up to 10 days" or something. Apparently this was technically true, but as a legal maximum, not desirable behavior, and the agent explained to the manager he was expected to sign time sheets straight away. Sign off did improve IIRC.

[pr1]

Hi all,

I am currently in a contract where I submit a weekly electronic timesheet via the agency's system which is then supposed to be authorised electronically by the client. However the person who does the authorisations is not my line manager and is frequently late authorising the timesheet which means the deadline for payment by the agency is missed.

In the past I always used a manual timesheet where I would take it to the manager and get him to sign it there and then but this electronic one allows the client to authorise it whenever they feel like it and sometime they just can't be bothered.

This situation is stressing me out and I don't know what to do. What is your advice?

A.

MTFU

have a nice christmas xx

[NibblyPig]

I did one direct where I'd invoice with 30 day payment terms at the end of the month, initially they paid on the last day after an e-mail reminder (replied to with 'err can you resend i will pay it now') but ending with no payment until 10 days after the 30 day deadline, and that was after 3 e-mails. The last e-mail said I'd be adding on 8% interest and a fine (fee) in line with the government legislation for late invoices if it wasn't paid promptly. 2 hours later it was in my account. No e-mail of acknowledgement or anything.

Sometimes it takes a stick to get what you want.

[MrMarkyMark]

Yep, have had it when direct, when it took 3 months to get any money.

Goes with the territory.

[SueEllen]

It happened to me once. Client manager was nice guy but a fool. Signed my time sheets typically 5 or 6 days late. After I spoke to him about it, it changed to 10 days. I requested a private meeting. Instead, he brought the matter up at the next team meeting, which he chaired, and where he dealt with it by simply mentioning my time sheets and the fact I needed them signed. There was no discussion and I didn't get to say anything, and matters did not improve.

A couple of times I put the time sheet on his (almost empty) desk on Friday afternoon, and he would go home without signing it 2 hours later.

I spoke to the agent who was helpful and spoke to the manager immediately. I was told he manager thought it was his "right" to delay sign off because his contract with the agency said "up to 10 days" or something. Apparently this was technically true, but as a legal maximum, not desirable behavior, and the agent explained to the manager he was expected to sign time sheets straight away. Sign off did improve IIRC.

The agent is helpful as without a signed timesheet they cannot invoice the client.

[psychocandy]

In my experience it differs from client to client. Some are good - some just cannot be arsed.

Current one hassles me if I dont submit by 10am on a friday. By 1005 its all authorised.

Heard some right horror stories about direct though. Worked with one contractor who pretty much ran the system. He'd been there a year. He liked working there but every month he had to spend ages chasing things and in the end he had enough. Left and got something else because of this issue.