Holidays or absences during contract

[Mustang]

How do most of you take your holidays? Slot them in between contracts seems the most logical but this cant be done if you have a long contract. DO any of you have a clause written into your contracts if you know you have holiday planned. I am currently looking at my next contract but have planned a 3 week trip around Xmas & New Year. Do I have it written into the contract or just notify them that I will be taking that time off?

Other than the odd day off here and there where you can just say "I wont be in the office" (compensated for when you invoice) how do people handle absences? I agree since its a business arrangement you can just tell the client but what comeback is there? I guess this brings the IR35 silver bullet of substitution into it's own.....

All feedback welcome.

[Lucifer Box]

I never have holiday/absence clauses in contracts. That sort of thing is for permies. I negotiate planned absences with my client taking into account the progress of the project, what has been contractually agreed to be done and when by, and so on. Most clients are flexible as long as the work is on schedule and you're not taking weeks off.

If you know when signing a contract about a planned, extended absence, then the morally correct thing is to tell your client before signing. However, if you think this means that disclosure jeopardises your chance of winning the contract then you might "forget to mention it". However, this in itself might jeopardise your chance of a renewal or your good relations with the client. It may be the case that your client is happy (and even welcomes) contractors taking a long break over Christmas. It's a judgement call you as a business will have to make.

As always in these situations, put the boot on the other foot. If you were hiring a builder to do a job that was going to take 6 months, and a month into the contract he said, "oh, forgot to tell you, I'm taking a month off so its actually going to take 7 months", how would you feel? Happy, or deceived?

[tim123]

As a BOS contractor, to the PM I just look like anybody else on his team.

The PM can't tell (doesn't care) whether I am a company perm, independent consultant or software house employee (or even an independent consultant pretending to be a software house employee).

I'm just a resource on his plan, but as there are laws requiring some types of human resources to be allowed to take holiday, the plan has to be draw up with this in mind.

So, as long as I give the required notice, I get to take the same holiday as everybody else. The PM would like it if I (and everyone else) didn't take holiday, but he knows that he can't have this, so he doesn't really expect it - whatever he might say.

tim