End of Contract Etiquette

[psychocandy]

Not really. You have a gig at a set length of time. That's it. Renewal is not to be expected or relied on. It's to be negotiated. Until it is you have nothing.

Don't want to be rude but you are going to have to get your head around what you do better. This situation is going to come up at the end of every single contract so its kinda part and parcel of what you do. If you can't work out how a supplier should handle a client I'd have told ask whether you are actually a contractor or you are just playing at being one.

Harsh nluk. Could be guys first contract and he is only asking after all.

[northernladuk]

Harsh nluk. Could be guys first contract and he is only asking after all.

Not really. Just some straight feedback on what he needs to be doing. I'm giving him a solution for many situations going forward beyond the one he's in.

give a man a fish and you feed him for a day etc etc...

[psychocandy]

If you're the supplier, what do you do?

If someone's on a week's notice and you have work for them for the remaining four weeks, do you risk telling them that there will be no renewal and they exit early?

If OP says something in the current situation, he's potentially putting revenue at risk; it's in his limited company's best interest for him to say nothing.

There is that. Undoubtedly some clients out there who will say, so you're off in 4 weeks are you? well you might as well leave tomorrow then.

Depends on what the client is like. If they are total nobheads and you think they'll do this then I'd shorten the time before telling them if I could possibly. To a week.

BUT if the client is good, you might want to come back in the future, then I think its best to play fair. 6 week though - nah no way. Way too far in advance. I'd say 3 weeks even for the best client if they hadnt even mentioned it before.

[northernladuk]

There is that. Undoubtedly some clients out there who will say, so you're off in 4 weeks are you? well you might as well leave tomorrow then.

You do like making hypothetical and very uncommon situations don't you. If the client has work for you then why would they bin you early? If they didn't have the work then you've been on a wish and a prayer for too long and should have gone earlier. You are also forgetting notice periods in most cases will be longer than the month hes got left it and so on and so on.

Just making sweeping statements like that just aren't very helpful.

Am sure it's happened in the past but it's not the norm really is it.

[psychocandy]

You do like making hypothetical and very uncommon situations don't you. If the client has work for you then why would they bin you early? If they didn't have the work then you've been on a wish and a prayer for too long and should have gone earlier. You are also forgetting notice periods in most cases will be longer than the month hes got left it and so on and so on.

Just making sweeping statements like that just aren't very helpful.

Am sure it's happened in the past but it's not the norm really is it.

Heard it happen a few times. Client thinks why waste more time on this guy hes leaving anyway. Get him out get new one in asap.

[northernladuk]

Heard it happen a few times. Client thinks why waste more time on this guy hes leaving anyway. Get him out get new one in asap.

You mean they would start a hand over process which would included going out to find a new resource which takes time do will start to dovetail it with the existing contractors leaving date?

[Old Greg]

Heard it happen a few times. Client thinks why waste more time on this guy hes leaving anyway. Get him out get new one in asap.

But you do pretty low-end stuff don't you PC (no offence intended?

[psychocandy]

But you do pretty low-end stuff don't you PC (no offence intended?

Ha ha. No not really :-)

I do support/consultancy stuff but its a long way from helpdesk stuff.

[psychocandy]

You mean they would start a hand over process which would included going out to find a new resource which takes time do will start to dovetail it with the existing contractors leaving date?

Maybe. But I've seen it happen more than once where they've told contractor, ok so you're off in 3 weeks, tell you what we'll make that one week for you to do the handover.

Mixture of client being concerned that they're going to get less out of the guy in the last few weeks, wanting to get someone new onboard asap, and sometimes a bit of petulance.

[The GreenFox]

I have less than a week to go. Considering the week notice required i've a) notified the Agent, who is happy but said to see me go blah blah and b) now notified client that due to low work demand and no talk of renewal I have secured a new contract and therefore unavailable for renewal." including usual pleasantries.