Is this an expected norm?

[IsayIsayIsay]

I started my 6mth contract on Nov 1st. Very busy for approx. 4 weeks, set up some transformation governance, looked at some processes to improve, executed against plans, all that good stuff. Started to ramp down early Dec, dead over Christmas and now I am literally doing 30 - 60 mins a day (of an 8 hour day) - ticking over. My manager tells me it's OK and there is work coming down the pipe. I have made it clear several times I have capacity, but the work doesn't seem to exist. Is it time to start looking, or should I enjoy the fact I'm being paid to do very little and post on here? I'm bored zzzzzzzz

[BigDataPro]

I would say 60 minutes is more than enough for £349.99 per day Inside IR35

[IsayIsayIsay]

I guess there is a related question around output management... do folks work more deliberately in order to extend? I've never been very good at this, preferring to work quickly and try and generate opportunities...

[PerfectStorm]

Very normal.

[jamesbrown]

Whether it is common depends on the type of contracting you do. For your type of contracting, I guess it is somewhat common (BoS, T&M type work, I assume; in much the same way it is common for permies to be sitting around doing nothing).

[northernladuk]

I guess there is a related question around output management... do folks work more deliberately in order to extend? I've never been very good at this, preferring to work quickly and try and generate opportunities...

No. I do what I do to the best of my ability, over delivering if I can and then leave when I'm done. I'll get the extension or offer of new piece of work because I'm the best guy for the job. I can't be arsed dragging stuff out for the sake of it. However clever you think you are it will stick to you. Very shorttermist and not the way to do business IMO. I get that this will very wildly from individual to individual but I get up in a morning to do a good job, not purposely delay work to get extensions.

I started a gig with a council and six weeks in I hadn't been given anything to fill my time so I left and got the best gig I've ever had. No way would I hang around and be miserable. It's the whole reason I went contracting.

I assume you are inside OP?

[IsayIsayIsay]

Naïve I know, but what's inside OP? I'm with you totally. I've been bored for a few weeks now and thinking about bringing it to a head. It feels counterintuitive when you're being paid for doing nothing, but for similar reasons, I came to contracting to be busy, use my skills and grow, not to leech of a company for weeks, it doesn't feel good...

Thanks for the advice!

[northernladuk]

Naïve I know, but what's inside OP? I'm with you totally. I've been bored for a few weeks now and thinking about bringing it to a head. It feels counterintuitive when you're being paid for doing nothing, but for similar reasons, I came to contracting to be busy, use my skills and grow, not to leech of a company for weeks, it doesn't feel good...

Thanks for the advice!

OP is Original Poster. So the question to you is are you inside IR35 or outside?

[IsayIsayIsay]

Ah... yep inside IR35.

[northernladuk]

Ah... yep inside IR35.

That's OK. You can't be sitting around waiting for work on an outside contract. You have problems with Mutuality of Obligation and Direction and Control. If you are outside once the work you were brought on to do dries up you are done. Inside it's fine.

So just decide if you can be bothered doing nothing all day. If not leave. That's the beauty of contracting.