Hourly rate - employer checking timesheet?

[SarahL2012]

also, to add, most clients dont check timesheets/logs etc. Doesnt mean you should take the piss. This would be a quick route to getting canned.

Been at a couple of clients where sample checks have been done of time recorded compared to entry / exit times on swipe cards.

Both instances were because they felt they had a particular issue and investigated it, but I'm pretty sure those contractors thought no-one would notice the odd hour here or there either - until they were presented with the evidence.

[kevpuk]

I always non-bill for between 30 mins and an hour each day, to meet any H&S requirements (believe it is 20mins uninterrupted if 6hrs+?) that could muddy the waters, and also to get something to eat!
Kinda nice to not be chained to the screen all day long.......after all, MyCo earns a good fee for every professional day (currently 7.5hrs) it provides my service, and I wanna keep hold of a little bit of sanity

If you don't work it, don't bill it - simples

[sbutton]

Laudable as it is, thousands (millions?) of companies the world over charge their clients more hours than they actually work.

Little companies like us aren't any different.

And it's not really any different from your average permie getting away doing less work than they are supposed to either. Is that ok because they are sticking it to the man?

So if you are the type to "try and get away with it", it doesn't matter whether you're a permie worker, small Ltd contractor, or a boss at a big company, you wouldn't be the first and you certainly won't be the last.

... and when it comes to contract renewal time, who are they likely to get rid of first? The one who's billing 10 hours / day and "working" from desk.

Also, some times a permy will have it in for you, and will make a fuss because you are probably earning 3x their salary. It's hard for management to turn a blind eye in this situation.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Yes, thanks.



For me it's half working and half browsing the net. I justify billing over the time period because it is a short period of time and I am still engaged in work - just not working with 100% productivity. It's similar to billing for a period in which you had a chat to a permie for 15 minutes about your Fantasy Football team whilst you were at a desk scanning emails.

Think how you would feel if you employed someone to work for you, who you had to pay from your own hard earned cash and they booked two or three hours overtime a day but during that time surfed the net, chatted to other workers and worked at maybe 50% productivity?

[PEEL]

Think how you would feel if you employed someone to work for you, who you had to pay from your own hard earned cash and they booked two or three hours overtime a day but during that time surfed the net, chatted to other workers and worked at maybe 50% productivity?

This I agree with, but for 15 minutes of downtime where you are still half working at your desk? Is it much different than a daily / hourly contractor working in Support (or something largely BAU) taking time out their day to post something on this forum?

[Murder1]

You're being brought in as a professional to do a professional job, try and act like it. Adding on time here and there just because a permie said "it's generally accepted practice" is blatant fraud. I'd personally feel bad about working at 50% capacity and invoicing for a full hour but that's just me.

Taking the mick and claiming to work 10 straight hours even whilst "eating" at your desk is only going to flag you as someone to either monitor/check up on/get rid of if you're lucky, if they can prove you're invoicing fraudulently then you're in a world of s&*t.

Alternatively......

Bill em for anything you can get away with, why stop at 10 hours I'd be invoicing for 14+ hours a day me!
Checking my inbox on my phone on the way home - CHECK
Logging on via the tablet whilst watching Celebrity Master Chef - CHECK
Initiating a new software build whilst sat on the loo - CHECK

[Acme Thunderer]

Been with a client before that had a swipe in/out time system. The time system took the lunch break off the working time so it wasn't billable.

Invoices were also checked against the time system by finance - got asked a question when mine didn't tally up. Turned out finance hadn't actioned a request to adjust the start time because I had to travel to a different site for the day.

[psychocandy]

Been with a client before that had a swipe in/out time system. The time system took the lunch break off the working time so it wasn't billable.

Invoices were also checked against the time system by finance - got asked a question when mine didn't tally up. Turned out finance hadn't actioned a request to adjust the start time because I had to travel to a different site for the day.

Thats a bit severe mind checking for every day....

[eek]

Thats a bit severe mind checking for every day....

It will be an automated process.

[SueEllen]

Been with a client before that had a swipe in/out time system. The time system took the lunch break off the working time so it wasn't billable.

Invoices were also checked against the time system by finance - got asked a question when mine didn't tally up. Turned out finance hadn't actioned a request to adjust the start time because I had to travel to a different site for the day.

I had that.

Except the afternoon before your invoices were due you could collect a print out of your times.

As it was an hourly rate with a maximum number of agreed hours per month it was a good way of ensuring your invoices etc matched.

I know other places will only get the swipe times if they suspect a contractor of defrauding them.