Reply to: Flex working in a contract

[Not So Wise]

The only pitflls are that it is easy to do nothing!

After working from home for years cannot help but agree with this statement 101%.

It takes a serious and dedicated mindset, all the time, to actually get the same level of work done as you would in a normal office.

The amount of times i had to pull a few all nighters in a row at the end of a project to meet deadlines because i had skived off earlyer on are to many to count

[BoredBloke]

I worked for 1 client for almost 4 years. For the first 2 years I worked on site, getting in late on Monday and making up my hours so that I could go at 12 on the Friday. Getting hacked off with this and having a company laptop I enquired about home working for the odd day. i sold it to them on the grounds that it was beneficial to both parties.

For me it was reduced cost

better commute on Thursday night instead of Friday afternoon - London to Manchester

More time with the family (is that a benefit!)

For them they got the advatage of me being available on Friday afternoons whereas would normally be stuck on the M6

Towards the end (last 12 months) I did half of Mondays at home also so that I could drive down in non rush hour traffic. I used to then make a point of staying till 7.

Because of this I was able to sell them a one day per week deal while working for other clients as I had proved that I would and could work remotely.

The only pitflls are that it is easy to do nothing! It is a skivers paradise. Also, if you have kids, you have to drum it into them that when you are working you are not messing with the computer and that you have to concentrate.

Being called while Chritmas shopping when you are supposed to be working is hard to explain. But I got away with it.

[ratewhore]

An alternative is to do what I do. At interview I make it plainly clear I don't want a working environment where I have to be at my desk 8 hours a day. I look for flexibility but it has to cut both ways. As long as you point out you are delivery based and you WILL deliver on time then the client (hopefully) should be happy with that. Mine have.

Doesn't work for everyone I'm sure...

[handsfree]

You're wasting your time Denny, Tim123 is clearly a bum-on-seat temp and very much at home (sic) in that role.

E.g.:

The idea that a client might accept that I do a 'paid by the hour' job at home, after I have just two weeks knowledge of the job is frankly ridiculous.

Even if it's a job where you don't need: network access, special tools or be accesable to other people, no manager is going to trust a two-week-rookie to do 8 hours work in 8 hours at home

This tells you precisely how much professional respect Tim expects to get (and therefore does get) from his bosses.

Milan

[Denny]

Have to agree with Tim on this.
If you work in a place where nobody works from home then there's no way you're getting that privilege. If lots of people work from home then I suppose it isn't that much of a problem.

What could happen (and I've seen it) the permies start slowly complaining why the hell should a contractor start getting extra benefits (working from home). Like a slow poison, the manager eventually has a divded office and finally gets rid of the contractor.

Remember the people who hired you couldn't care less where you live. It's up to you how to get to/from work but you've got to turn up on time and do your contracted project.

I've never had any problem working from home whenever I've got my feet under the table. All you need to do is point out the benefits to the client.

Why should working from home smack of a privilege anyway? You give your client your home number to reach you at any time, you have a certain amount of work to account for the following day and you can guarantee starting on time and finishing what is expected of you without the hassle of grappling with bad commuting problems. Always ensure that some of these days are spent doing more than what you'd ever achieve at the office, and bingo! You're in. Tell them your files you need to refer to are at home and it's impractical to take them into the office.

In my view, the only reason why contractors are scared to ask for home working is because they are too ill disciplined to be fully trusted and this is conveyed in the way the ask their managers and that's why they're not believed. Most managers worth their salt will also expect a certain return on the time allowed at home with full accountability the next day. They're not stupid.

[handsfree]

I think you live in a completely different world to the one I lve in.

[...]

tim

I think you're right.

[boredsenseless]

I've had both types of working practice but whenever I've been allowed to work at home its been after about 9 months of working on-site. Even then its not particularly liked if its too regular.

If you must do it don't try to set standard days such as every monday instead go for an arbitary day each week and make sure it isn't Mon or Friday.

Mondays and Fridays scream of a long weekend - hence no work done

Same day every week screams of other commitments - hence no work done

[partimer]

working from home

I think you live in a completely different world to the one I lve in.

If I said that to one of my clients I would expect the response to be "don't bother coming back on Monday then".

The idea that a client might accept that I do a 'paid by the hour' job at home, after I have just two weeks knowledge of the job is frankly ridiculous.

Even if it's a job where you don't need: network access, special tools or be accesable to other people, no manager is going to trust a two-week-rookie to do 8 hours work in 8 hours at home

tim

Have to agree with Tim on this.
If you work in a place where nobody works from home then there's no way you're getting that privilege. If lots of people work from home then I suppose it isn't that much of a problem.

What could happen (and I've seen it) the permies start slowly complaining why the hell should a contractor start getting extra benefits (working from home). Like a slow poison, the manager eventually has a divded office and finally gets rid of the contractor.

Remember the people who hired you couldn't care less where you live. It's up to you how to get to/from work but you've got to turn up on time and do your contracted project.

[tim123]

Then after a couple of weeks, once the project is off the ground and people are happy with your work, say to your line manager "I'm going to work from home this friday".

I think you live in a completely different world to the one I lve in.

If I said that to one of my clients I would expect the response to be "don't bother coming back on Monday then".

The idea that a client might accept that I do a 'paid by the hour' job at home, after I have just two weeks knowledge of the job is frankly ridiculous.

Even if it's a job where you don't need: network access, special tools or be accesable to other people, no manager is going to trust a two-week-rookie to do 8 hours work in 8 hours at home

tim

[rootsnall]

I think you've got to gain yourself a bit if power first by putting in some early hard graft and getting some of the work under your control and then negotiate/hint unoffiicially to your manager. I always reckon getting the chance to do your hours in 4 long days is the ultimate ie. Friday off. I've managed this on a few sites but in nearly all cases everybody starts asking for special treatment and eventually there will be a clampdown. If I was the manager paying the bills I wouldn't let contractors get away with it but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

[handsfree]

What I do

Commit yourself to staying in a b&b all week for the first 2 to 3 weeks. Concentrate on getting the project off the ground (if it's a project-based contract). The impression people have of you in these early weeks will stick. Gain a reputation very early on for being hard working and professional - remember the client doesn't care in the slightest about your travel and accommodation arrangements - that's one of the advantages, from their point of view, of hiring a contractor.

Then after a couple of weeks, once the project is off the ground and people are happy with your work, say to your line manager "I'm going to work from home this friday". Don't ask permission, just state it matter of factly. Don't give a reason, but if pressed for one, find some reasonable personal/family/health excuse. He might look a bit begruntled that you didn't ask, or he might raise some objections, but stand your ground (unless he really point-blankly says you can't do that).

Then build on that. Make sure everyone knows what work you did on the day you worked from home, and how much you got done, and then a couple of weeks later, say you're going to work from home Thursday and Friday this week.

Alternatively, if this doesn't work for you, rent a cheap bedsit or room in a shared house, and either ride the 6 months out like a professional contractor, or spend the evenings sitting in the dark on your own, kicking yourself for being such a plonker for taking a contract when the location was unsuitable for you.

[thunderlizard]

Really depends on the kind of work you're doing. If it's e.g. a solo development cycle it makes more sense - if it's on-demand support, less so. You might have more change of convincing the client if you say it's something you plan to do after a month or two, during which time you can prove you're not a rip-off merchant.

tl

[malandri]

The best way to increase your real net pay is not to make expences. If i pay for 4 days hotel/week , the money ending in my pocket will be less compared to when i pay for 2 days.

Thank you for your responses, i will try to talk to my line manager and see how it goes !

[~Craig~]

does that not put a dent in your expenses a bit?

[ladymuck]

I always take travelling time to the site in consideration before even applying for a contract. The way I see it, if I'm willing to put myself forward for the job then the travelling time/hotel arrangements must be acceptable to me. It's not the client's fault that you don't live 10mins down the road from the site.