Reply to: Time Keeping

[northernladuk]

Sadly, that will be lost on most in this thread...

Well worth posting on public forum then?

[malvolio]

Liar!

Sadly, that will be lost on most in this thread...

[Ignis Fatuus]

"Oh well", said Cutie, "We won't argue".



(Actually if you can track down the original Asimov story that quote comes from, you might find it's strangely relevant to this discussion. How do you define reality?)

Liar!

[d000hg]

correct me if i am wrong but surely being told what time to come in and what time to go is a form of control, i am with everyong else i would suck it up and stay the extra time or come in early but is being told an IR35 pointer

It's a grey area I would say. If you work in a cubicle and never talk to anyone, it shouldn't matter. But most roles require being available for interaction with other people so they can play that card... or you can if HMRC sniff around (although this is a tiny factor and if that tips you over, you were doing it wrong to start with).

After all... a freelance newsreader or radio DJ will have certain hours they MUST be at work. Similar a trader could reasonably be expected to be in for the entire time their target market is open.

[Wanderer]

The current agency's contract states however that hours are 8:30 - 17:00.

That sounds pretty clear to me. What part of it don't you understand?

[matei]

Perhaps I should've included more detail... lack of attention to detail will do me in if I don't start taking steps to deal with it!

Part of this is my own doing.

My previous contract with a different agency only stipulated 7.5 hours. No start time/end time.

This current contract actually goes so far as to state that I am responsible for working 7.5 hours a day, and that the start time is 8:30 - and end time is 5:00. I figured that I don't need an hour lunch, so I've been working exactly 7.5 hours.

I see that the other contractors come in between 08:30 and 9:45, so I'm consistently there between 08:40 - 09:00 depending on how the tulip tube service runs to that armpit of London.

However it seems that I'm the only contractor that was singled out.

Actually that isn't altogether true... a blanket e-mail went out today to all the agency's contractors from the COO, stating that time keeping hasn't been up to scratch. Oddly, the "to" field was blank, so you couldn't see who else was included.

Several minutes later he sent an additional e-mail stating that it wasn't directed any any individuals - that it was just a general reminder, and apologised for any misconceptions. Apparently quite a few people complained.

I was just a bit miffed that I'm being forced to stay 30 minutes for nothing (literally), to take an hour lunch when I'm contractually obliged to provide 7.5 hours - not 8 or 8.5. Waaaahhh...

Of course, I'll bend over for the client and the jobsworth slug that anonymously "reported" me.

[nomadd]

correct me if i am wrong but surely being told what time to come in and what time to go is a form of control..

It is, IMHO.

I do 8:00 til 4:30. And screw any permie who has a problem with that (and the manager who signs my timesheet doesn't, and he's the only permie I care about. )

[SueEllen]

Have you never heard of "customer care" or "customer service"?

His clients are mobile telecoms companies or retail banks so "NO".

BTW I'm currently in a contract where I start late - and I start between 8 and 8.30am!

[d000hg]

Feel free to bend over backwards to the clients every whim, I act professionally and view the client as a customer

Have you never heard of "customer care" or "customer service"?

[northernladuk]

If you arrive at 7:30, work 7.5 hours and have 0.5 hour lunch break, leaving at 15:30, you'll be labelled a workshy git.

If you arrive at 10:30, work 7.5 hours and have a 0.5 hour lunch break, leaving at 18:30, you'll be considered a hero, always working late.

It seems that arriving late has less negative impact than leaving early.

I don't quite agree. I come in at 9.30 and have done in the last 3 gigs and you are considered a lazy bugger as people can see you walk in late but they can't see you walk out late.

So the 7.30 guy sees you from 10.30 to 15.30 i.e. for 5 hours.

Doesn't matter what you do someone starts a trend you can't shake off. Come in at 9 and you have wet the bed etc.....

[TheFaQQer]

As far as I'm concerned, I work my 37.5 hours over 5 attendances. Sometimes (always) I finish by lunchtime on a Friday. If the client doesn't like it they can always say something. They never do.

I had an argument with the PM last year when he decreed that for a few weeks, he expected everyone at their desks by 9am on Monday and not leave before 4 on a Friday, and we had to be available for conference calls after that, so no flights home.

My final offer was that to meet that, I'd take Mondays and Fridays off, so I could be in by 9am Tuesday and work until 5 on Thursday, as it was the only way to meet the daily times. In the end, I worked exactly as I had done all contract, and billed accordingly.

[bless 'em all]

My first boss explained it to me - not enough people see you arrive early, but everyone sees you leave early.

My first boss in my testing career would rock up at 10:30, clap her hands together and shout "Let's get started."

How those of us who had already be in for 3 hours laughed.

As far as I'm concerned, I work my 37.5 hours over 5 attendances. Sometimes (always) I finish by lunchtime on a Friday. If the client doesn't like it they can always say something. They never do.

[JamJarST]

If you arrive at 7:30, work 7.5 hours and have 0.5 hour lunch break, leaving at 15:30, you'll be labelled a workshy git.

If you arrive at 10:30, work 7.5 hours and have a 0.5 hour lunch break, leaving at 18:30, you'll be considered a hero, always working late.

It seems that arriving late has less negative impact than leaving early.

Interestingly up here in Aberdeen it is the other way round. A lot of people start at 7:30 and leave at 16:00. None of the permies work late, having said that none of the permies are back stabbing losers either.

[TheFaQQer]

If you arrive at 7:30, work 7.5 hours and have 0.5 hour lunch break, leaving at 15:30, you'll be labelled a workshy git.

If you arrive at 10:30, work 7.5 hours and have a 0.5 hour lunch break, leaving at 18:30, you'll be considered a hero, always working late.

It seems that arriving late has less negative impact than leaving early.

My first boss explained it to me - not enough people see you arrive early, but everyone sees you leave early.

[NotAllThere]

If you arrive at 7:30, work 7.5 hours and have 0.5 hour lunch break, leaving at 15:30, you'll be labelled a workshy git.

If you arrive at 10:30, work 7.5 hours and have a 0.5 hour lunch break, leaving at 18:30, you'll be considered a hero, always working late.

It seems that arriving late has less negative impact than leaving early.