Negotiating notice period

[robin]

Been offered a 6 month contract with notice period of a month. I always like a week ideally in contracts especially longer ones as a big part of going contracting was to be flexible and I just feel more trapped with a months notice, its nice to know I am only ever a week away from getting out 'IF' i need to.

The thing is I don't know what to say to the agent when I try and negotiate a week without it sounding like I want it to possibly leave which is not the case. I work through an umbrella so don't need to worry about it from IR35 status.

Has anyone had success with negotiating notice periods what do you say?

[Pondlife]

Personally I would not touch a contractor who insisted he was able to leave within a week if he felt like it.

Way too much hassle IMVHO.

[TheFaQQer]

As long as the notice period is reciprocal, then I'm not fussed. Last gig , they could give me a week, I could give them a month. In the end, we negotiated to a month both sides, then on renewal it went down to a week both sides.

There are always ways out of a contract, notice period or not.

[Support Monkey]

There are always ways out of a contract, notice period or not.

WHS, Notice periods don't mean jack, they can bin you, you can up and leave, just accept the month as long as its the same their side

[robin]

I know any notice period regards to the client is meaningless but I would like to think that unless for exceptional circumstances if I handed my notice in I would honor it like I said I don't really want to burn bridges if I can help it.

I have read on this site about notice periods being a clause you can negotiate on but never really knew what you would say to try and get it down if need be.

[Scrag Meister]

Business Continuity, The client wants to know that they will have time to find a replacment and get a couple of weeks handover in before you leave. They don't want to be left in the lurch.

In my contract there is a clause about fees payable for not extending, etc.. As it happens the fee has been waived, "the intention remains"

[mouseorgan]

Personally I would not touch a contractor who insisted he was able to leave within a week if he felt like it.

Way too much hassle IMVHO.

As the OP said, it's not a negative to want that period. I'm new to the contractor world and fairly low on confidence / experience on picking up new ones. With a months notice it's unlikely to mean I can get a new one that would permit the notice period, or rely on finding one within that last week of a months notice period. This position does probably match up with you thinking they will leave though, but that's mostly my lack of confidence not actual intention. Things should be a lot different as and when I finally have 6 months of buffer money to take those concerns away...

[Pondlife]

As the OP said, it's not a negative to want that period. I'm new to the contractor world and fairly low on confidence / experience on picking up new ones. With a months notice it's unlikely to mean I can get a new one that would permit the notice period, or rely on finding one within that last week of a months notice period. This position does probably match up with you thinking they will leave though, but that's mostly my lack of confidence not actual intention. Things should be a lot different as and when I finally have 6 months of buffer money to take those concerns away...

It's not negative from the OPs point of view, no. But if the client is hiring you to do a job that will take x months (contract duration), and you say you want to be able to leave at a weeks notice, it sends the wrong message entirely.

Who wants to hire someone that is already (seemingly) looking to leave before the work is finished.

Like I said. To me that screams "do not touch".

Just my $0.02

[Boo]

Has anyone had success with negotiating notice periods what do you say?

If you try to negotiate 3 months then the agency will get the sh*ts and insist on dropping it to a week...

Boo

[NotReallyButSeriously]

It really depends on the length of the contract though. I know on my current contract I was working with another contractor who claimed he was ill on the second day of his job. He was subsequently replaced the day later, so I don't see why they slap you with month long notice periods.