Umbrella contract hours vs expected working hours

[northernladuk]

I doubt many have as we are mainly IT Contractors on here and it's generally a 'professional working day' so pretty much standard office hours.

Where are you in the process? Have you been offered the role? Has the contract been issued? Ask to the see contract as the hours should be documented in there along with pay so there is no ambiguity. Failing that just mail all the people you've been in contact with and ask them could you please clarify the hours of work that will be in the contract.

[constructioneng1]

I’m currently in discussions about a temporary contract (via an umbrella company) on a construction project, in a supporting, desk-based role. Overall, the opportunity sounds positive, but I’ve recently found out that the weekly contracted hours are higher than I initially expected.

An acquaintance who leads the team I’d be joining had previously outlined the expected working hours, which I was comfortable with. However, during contract discussions, the finance manager explained that all temporary roles are issued with higher contracted hours in order to align with the longer hours worked by site-based staff. When I raised the discussion with the acquaintance with him, it wasn't really acknowledged or addressed.

I’m unsure how best to handle this. On one hand, I’m concerned that pushing back on the contracted hours could risk the offer altogether if exceptions aren’t possible. On the other hand, if my actual working hours end up being less than what’s stated in the contract, I don’t want to find myself in a position where I’m unable to claim a full day’s pay.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, or have advice on how best to approach this? Many thanks