Change of Location Halfway Through Contract

[Smeeton A Quiet Boy]

Good evening everybody,

I feel I am answering my own question here but, nonetheless, I am going to put it out there anyway because I feel I have been put in an unreasonable situation.

I am 2 months into a 6 month contract for a software house in Swindon. The ultimate end client is a public sector client in Cardiff. I have just been informed that my team is required to relocate to Cardiff for the remainder of the duration of the project. This would be too long a journey to commute on a daily basis and would require me to find lodgings from Monday to Friday.

I feel this is entirely unreasonable but I do have that standard clause in my contract which states that I should be prepared to work wherever required, yes - that one that we probably always ignore. On the other hand, I was hired to work out of Swindon. If the ad had mentioned working out of Cardiff I would never have applied.

I do actually quite enjoy the role but I'm not prepared to stay away from home. There is no financial recompense on offer either.

Just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation? I'm getting the feeling I'm either going to have to like it or lump it.

[NotAllThere]

It's not a standard clause to be prepared to work where-ever they send you. I've never signed such a contract. My current contract allows the client to ask me to go on short term business trips where necessary for project tasks, and details how expensese would be met.

Do you have a notice period in your contract? You might have to use it. Of course, you'll be contractually obliged to work in Cardiff for the duration. Or send someone in as your substitute if your contract allows.

Are you working through your own ltd co.? If so, did you get the contract reviewed with respect to IR35?

[Smeeton A Quiet Boy]

It's not a standard clause to be prepared to work where-ever they send you. I've never signed such a contract. My current contract allows the client to ask me to go on short term business trips where necessary for project tasks, and details how expensese would be met.

Do you have a notice period in your contract? You might have to use it. Of course, you'll be contractually obliged to work in Cardiff for the duration. Or send someone in as your substitute if your contract allows.

Are you working through your own ltd co.? If so, did you get the contract reviewed with respect to IR35?

I haven't been in this game for that long but I've seen similar clauses I thought it was pretty standard practice.

Anyways, yeah through my own Ltd and I had the contract reviewed with a pass.

[Cirrus]

I'm not prepared to stay away from home.

As you said: you answered your own question.

[Lance]

Change of Location Halfway Through Contract

Sounds like a permie contract. Either that or they knew the location was going to change and forgot to mention it.

Either way you need to terminate if you’re not willing to stay away.
I wouldn’t even be bothered about the morality (or lack of) by not fulfilling a notice period as that clause is way too open ended to be considered reasonable.

Caveat: I don’t know all the details and haven’t read the whole contract.

[PerfectStorm]

If you have some leverage, offer to do it remotely.

If you don't, then ask if you'd be willing to lose the contract on it

They're not robots, they'll understand the difference between Swindon and Cardiff

[Willapp]

Yeah this sounds like a situation where actually talking to the client human-human is going to get this solved. They must realise you can't just magically start working somewhere else without it impacting your life. Options seem to be:

1) Do it to keep the contract, accepting you will earn less due to the increased cost of travel + accommodation.
2) Offer to work some/all the remainder remotely as a compromise, so you only have to attend site 1 or 2 days a week.
3) Tell the client you are unable to work in that location and either invoke notice or agree to terminate the contract by mutual consent.

[quackhandle]

Walk away. Look for next gig. It's a pi$$er but these things happen.

Good luck.

qh

[northernladyuk]

Broadly agree with the above. However, if you like the client otherwise, and they're local, manage it professionally and see whether they have any other projects,

[WordIsBond]

Broadly agree with the above. However, if you like the client otherwise, and they're local, manage it professionally and see whether they have any other projects,

What, you mean act like a business?!