Reply to: Client late authorising electronic timesheet - what should I do?

[psychocandy]

In my experience it differs from client to client. Some are good - some just cannot be arsed.

Current one hassles me if I dont submit by 10am on a friday. By 1005 its all authorised.

Heard some right horror stories about direct though. Worked with one contractor who pretty much ran the system. He'd been there a year. He liked working there but every month he had to spend ages chasing things and in the end he had enough. Left and got something else because of this issue.

[SueEllen]

It happened to me once. Client manager was nice guy but a fool. Signed my time sheets typically 5 or 6 days late. After I spoke to him about it, it changed to 10 days. I requested a private meeting. Instead, he brought the matter up at the next team meeting, which he chaired, and where he dealt with it by simply mentioning my time sheets and the fact I needed them signed. There was no discussion and I didn't get to say anything, and matters did not improve.

A couple of times I put the time sheet on his (almost empty) desk on Friday afternoon, and he would go home without signing it 2 hours later.

I spoke to the agent who was helpful and spoke to the manager immediately. I was told he manager thought it was his "right" to delay sign off because his contract with the agency said "up to 10 days" or something. Apparently this was technically true, but as a legal maximum, not desirable behavior, and the agent explained to the manager he was expected to sign time sheets straight away. Sign off did improve IIRC.

The agent is helpful as without a signed timesheet they cannot invoice the client.

[MrMarkyMark]

Yep, have had it when direct, when it took 3 months to get any money.

Goes with the territory.

[NibblyPig]

I did one direct where I'd invoice with 30 day payment terms at the end of the month, initially they paid on the last day after an e-mail reminder (replied to with 'err can you resend i will pay it now') but ending with no payment until 10 days after the 30 day deadline, and that was after 3 e-mails. The last e-mail said I'd be adding on 8% interest and a fine (fee) in line with the government legislation for late invoices if it wasn't paid promptly. 2 hours later it was in my account. No e-mail of acknowledgement or anything.

Sometimes it takes a stick to get what you want.

[pr1]

Hi all,

I am currently in a contract where I submit a weekly electronic timesheet via the agency's system which is then supposed to be authorised electronically by the client. However the person who does the authorisations is not my line manager and is frequently late authorising the timesheet which means the deadline for payment by the agency is missed.

In the past I always used a manual timesheet where I would take it to the manager and get him to sign it there and then but this electronic one allows the client to authorise it whenever they feel like it and sometime they just can't be bothered.

This situation is stressing me out and I don't know what to do. What is your advice?

A.

MTFU

have a nice christmas xx

[unixman]

It happened to me once. Client manager was nice guy but a fool. Signed my time sheets typically 5 or 6 days late. After I spoke to him about it, it changed to 10 days. I requested a private meeting. Instead, he brought the matter up at the next team meeting, which he chaired, and where he dealt with it by simply mentioning my time sheets and the fact I needed them signed. There was no discussion and I didn't get to say anything, and matters did not improve.

A couple of times I put the time sheet on his (almost empty) desk on Friday afternoon, and he would go home without signing it 2 hours later.

I spoke to the agent who was helpful and spoke to the manager immediately. I was told he manager thought it was his "right" to delay sign off because his contract with the agency said "up to 10 days" or something. Apparently this was technically true, but as a legal maximum, not desirable behavior, and the agent explained to the manager he was expected to sign time sheets straight away. Sign off did improve IIRC.

[MrMarkyMark]

Some good advice thus far.

Is waiting outside, wearing a mask and donning some stranglers gloves, then giving him a chinning an option?

If you do a proper job, then someone else will be put in charge of authorising your time sheet.

[SimonMac]

It may be in the contract that the timesheet has to be approved, but is the deadline specified in the contract, or are the agency just taking it upon themselves to pay late if the timesheet is not approved by some arbitrary deadline?

They won't pay without a timesheet signed, they will then say that it has to follow using billing cycles so if you miss the weeks cut off you will just be put into the next billing cycle

[expat]

It may be in the contract that the timesheet has to be approved, but is the deadline specified in the contract, or are the agency just taking it upon themselves to pay late if the timesheet is not approved by some arbitrary deadline?

[SimonMac]

If every payment is two weeks late, then after two weeks you will be being paid weekly. Your contract isn't with the client. I don't think you've any leverage here.

But one of the conditions of his contract with the agency is that he has a signed timesheet from the Client.

If the agent wasn't paying what would you do, you would speak to them so why not speak to the authoriser

A gentle reminder always helps, send a email saying I have submitted my timesheet on the system for your approval, odds are the system will give automated updates which are ignored.

[northernladuk]

Oh dear ... you have other problems, like no expenses ... Northern Lad will be along in a moment to explain ...

Lol.. I think this is the tip of the iceberg so no idea where to start. I did wonder which is why I pointed out him 'stressing'and now being 'desperate'. As I say it's a pain in the arse and needs dealing with but it's not the worst thing that can (and possibly is) happening.

[uk contractor]

Welcome to contracting this happens all the time its rare to be paid weekly nowadays. Happened to me many times back in the days when weekly was the norm. Some clients would refuse to sign when I asked & make me wait longer just to show who is boss!

As others have said sometimes its the perm power trip other times its perhaps they do not want you onsite & resent signing your timesheet especially if they find out how much your earning that rubs perms up the wrong way more than you could ever know!

I would be cautious about making waves on this as well you can make the situation way worse if they are not signing it on time for a petty reason if the agency (who will most likely not do anything anyway as they do not want to upset the client) starts chasing it could all end badly for you.

Bar humbug!!

[MrMarkyMark]

I had one guy that was so bad, I used to yell at him, over the other side of the room, "Have you done my time sheet Mark, I don't want to paid late again".

Obviously, this guy was a total bell end and a bully, in general, he couldn't criticise my work, so decided to be a pain with the time sheet.

In the end, on the sly, I got his direct report to get set up and he did it, every week, on time.

[SueEllen]

If every payment is two weeks late, then after two weeks you will be being paid weekly. Your contract isn't with the client. I don't think you've any leverage here.

It doesn't actually work like that in practise.

As the guy is an a-hole he will be authorising them when he feels like.

[SueEllen]

This is the situation I am in. The permie in question thinks I should be his friend and do things useful to him in order to sign off my timesheet on time. But he is not my line manager and I have to do what my line manager wants me to do.

Well have a talk with your agent.

The agent won't want you on site if they aren't getting paid.

First imply that you think the delay is due to finance problems and ask them to check. Then say if it's not can you have another authoriser as obviously the person doing it doesn't have the time to do it by the deadline.