Do you inform the agent of when you take time off in contract

[Wanderer]

The reason I'm asking though is in my current contract it states if I am away I need to let both the client and agent know. I've never really noticed this is in my other contracts although it may have been there but it makes me think now given what agencies are like and other threads on here what if they come back and say 'you never let us know about your 2 weeks off, we want compensation for money lost'

I took a month off and didn't tell the agent. They just don't get timesheets for those weeks, simples. Sometimes they will send a polite note if there was no timesheet for a particular week and I would just reply that I didn't work that week so won't be sending one.

Compensation for money lost? I'm sure that some will try it on but I would just tell them to go to hell, there's no mutuality of obligation in my contract so I'm not obliged to work if I don't want to. If they want to supply me to the client for a %age cut of the fees or for a fixed price for the contract then that's between them and the client. If I don't work and they don't earn then that's their problem not mine.

[VectraMan]

I'd just submit a timesheet with zeros on it. Though I did that last year and the agent still phoned me up a month later asking about a missing timesheet.

I suppose you should tell the agent in advance; I just figured they don't really care.

[Pogle]

The agency finds out when I submit a timesheet of 0 hours for that day.
As long as clientco know and are ok with it, I don't bother telling the agency

[MarillionFan]

What a lovely human being that PM is.

I hold a grudge for that. I have his linked in profile and one day, what goes around will comes around.

[PropertyCrashUK]

I don't tell the agent directly.

I agree it with the client. Ensure I have it agreed and confirmed by email(with trail) with a copy to the agent and ensure I have a copy outside of the work email system(once got binned for taking a day off, getting it agreed by the project manager by email on the work system came back to find I was terminated and didnt have access to said agreement).

What a lovely human being that PM is.

[MarillionFan]

I don't tell the agent directly.

I agree it with the client. Ensure I have it agreed and confirmed by email(with trail) with a copy to the agent and ensure I have a copy outside of the work email system(once got binned for taking a day off, getting it agreed by the project manager by email on the work system came back to find I was terminated and didnt have access to said agreement).

[Scrag Meister]

Anything that makes the agents life easier is the right thing to do.

After all, it's a two-way street

WTFS

[TheFaQQer]

Anything that makes the agents life easier is the right thing to do.

After all, it's a two-way street

[The Agents View]

I usually only inform the agency if they're likely to be expecting a timesheet and I won't be submitting one for the week. A quick email to the agency usually suffices, either before or after the time off.

Some timesheet systems also allow a blank/empty timesheet to be submitted so you can keep up to date that way.

The agency usually appreciates it so they don't have to chase up 'missing' timesheets.

In one. Basically, we get a projection based on contractors working an average month (generally 19 or 20 days) - when people dont work those weeks we get a flag to say time sheets are missing - then we have to chase around after them.

Literally a one line email saying "I'm going to be off for XYZ time", saves us a whole load of hassle, so is very much appreciated.

[PAH]

I usually only inform the agency if they're likely to be expecting a timesheet and I won't be submitting one for the week. A quick email to the agency usually suffices, either before or after the time off.

Some timesheet systems also allow a blank/empty timesheet to be submitted so you can keep up to date that way.

The agency usually appreciates it so they don't have to chase up 'missing' timesheets.

[Support Monkey]

if its a couple of days then no i don't tell them, if its a week then i do tell them after all as a LTD company contractor my contract is with the agency not the client

[TheFaQQer]

I've never mentioned it to the agent, and have never had it queried.

I had 4 weeks holiday in one gig, and they never asked. They didn't notice when I had 6 weeks of sick, either.

[jmo21]

never noticed it myself until current contract.

I asked the agent about it, and he said if its a couple of days here and there don't worry about it, but please let us know if it's a week or more.

[curtis]

I never tell the agent if I'm going to take time off I just let the client know and as long as they are happy I go whether for my few days or 2 weeks and don't timesheet/invoice for those days.

The reason I'm asking though is in my current contract it states if I am away I need to let both the client and agent know. I've never really noticed this is in my other contracts although it may have been there but it makes me think now given what agencies are like and other threads on here what if they come back and say 'you never let us know about your 2 weeks off, we want compensation for money lost'

Do you agents know your time off or even sick time off?