Professional Day

[TheRightStuff]

A professional day is just that - what a professional is expected to deliver on any particular day when doing what they are supposed to. It also depends what industry you work in. If you worked 9-5 you wouldn't last very long at an investment bank for example.

My current day is around 08:00 until 18:00 but I get paid enough to make it worthwhile.

so every day it takes you exactly the same amount of time to achieve your deliverables. funny that.

[Vito]

Asking people roughly how long they think a professional working day is has got nothing to do with being a permie or politics. You just want to know roughly how many hrs you are expected to work in a day.

I get in between 8.45 and 9.15 and leave between 5 - 6 depending on my evening plans. Permies here start before 9 and leave after 6.

Why have you signed your post Moron. You crazy fool.

Genius <- that's my signature.

Agree that asking how many hours is considered a PWD is not about permies and politics...but some of the posts here have talked about 'staying longer than the boss' etc and this is the kind of political hoop that many permies have to jump through in order to get on.

[youngguy]

On my fist day I emailed the boss and said I planned to work 9-5 with 15mins to grab a sandwich. I said I would obviously stay later/come in earlier when required.

He was fine with this and said we could re-evaluate as requirements changed.

I probably stay later or come in earlier 1-2 times a week (sometimes 5mins, other times 2hrs), when there is a deadline for something. Otherwise I go at my ‘agreed hours’.

My view is that I leave about the same time every day, unless something is urgent. I also think this helps set expectations with the ‘boss’.

[rootsnall]

I must of missed the point ! The main plus of contracting to me is I do my agreed hours as stated in the contract then I bog off home and leave it to the permies.

[TheRightStuff]

Agree that asking how many hours is considered a PWD is not about permies and politics...but some of the posts here have talked about 'staying longer than the boss' etc and this is the kind of political hoop that many permies have to jump through in order to get on.

nope I don't do that. We had a team meeting and my client made a general comment to everyone about getting in before 8:45 and leaving after 6pm. I have ignored that and assumed that was directed towards the permies.
I do stay late if required but otherwise I am out of here around 5.30 if I'm happy with where I am at the end of the day. By time the cleaners come to our floor I am probably already at home or on the tennis court and probably deep into a 2nd set.

[timh]

Blimey, didn't expect this to be controversial.

I thought it would have been obvious, so I didn't write it - but I meant 8 hours a day on average. That's what I use as a basis for my estimates of "it'll take about 60 days to do this piece of work" or whatever, for the client.

The hours I actually work on any given day might be 4 and they might be 12; though I do always make sure there's a decent overlap with my client's office hours if I need to be communicating with anyone there.

[TheRightStuff]

Blimey, didn't expect this to be controversial.

I thought it would have been obvious, so I didn't write it - but I meant 8 hours a day on average. That's what I use as a basis for my estimates of "it'll take about 60 days to do this piece of work" or whatever, for the client.

The hours I actually work on any given day might be 4 and they might be 12; though I do always make sure there's a decent overlap with my client's office hours if I need to be communicating with anyone there.

it's good here isn't it. Insultville.
Have you not been insulted yet you divit.

[wendigo100]

No, most contractors that aren't getting paid for specific deliverables are using up a piece of budget. The client has allocated a sum of money for the work - it will have been calculated off a project plan of some kind as a multiple of days or hours but it is a single sum. Hour or day rate are merely a convenient way to parcel up the payments - they would much rather pay you a lump sum 90 days after you finish. Or do you imagine renewals aren't dependent on renewed budgetary resources being available?

Hey, that isn't my argument!

This thread is asking about the length of a professional day, and someone has said that the question is "a load of bollocks".

I think it is valid for most contractors. This business of "I'll do what the hell I like as long as I deliver the goods" is all very well, but not all clients appreciate it.

[SallyAnne]

I think it's fair to say that if you do "hours" which have been agreed with the boss, then you're a disguised employee.

If you give them a set of deliverables for a fixed price, then you're a proper business.


Of course, if you've decided on a fixed price, and quoted how many hours that's going to take you, and you're going to work those hours from the clients site...well that's proper contracting in my book. In those circumstances you would work later if your deadlines weren't going to be met, and nick off early if they'd been met early.
This is my situation. I'd never even enter into a discussion about hours, cause they're irrelevant.

[oxtailsoup]

If you are not a Permie however you do what is required...no more...no less.

My opinion is that you stay to get the job done and that should equate to roughly 40 hours a week. How you split that up over the week is between you and your client to discuss.

But I disagree with some opinions that you just do the bare minimum required etc. Personally I want to impress the client to ensure a good working relationship and more future work/references/referals.

I've seen a lot of contractors over the years who turn up and do the exact hours etc. They are usually the first out of the door when the contracts are up for renewal. Unless they are undispensible of course (amazing how many think they are).