Reply to: Fag breaks

[Alf W]

Personally, I charge by the day and the odd bit of networking by the smoking sheds is included in that. Far more useful than a couple of non-smokers spending an hour whingeing about the smokers wasting company time.

You also get to meet the really useful people on-site. The maintenance guys, cablers, desk shifters and post-room dudes.

Asking 'permission' to go to the bank? Have you no self respect?

[shoes]

Asking permission, considering making up time for spending a few minutes outside? What is wrong with you people? I thought you were contractors?

Turn up as late as you can get away with, do as little as you can during the day and leave as early as possible. You're not some mug clock watching permie wage slave making someone else wealthy, you are a contractor. Make the project last as long as possible, take the piss out of your economically challenged colleagues and roar off in your sports car on the final day with a bushel of money laughing at the mugs you leave behind.

[expat]

I often go for a wander round the car park, not always to have a smoke. A short stroll often helps me think about new ways to attack a particularly hard problem. I'm with the "thinking time" theory on this one. And I don't tell the client either, I'm not kept on a leash...

Boss once walked into my office when I literally had my feet up on the desk and a distant look in my eyes. Are you thinking about work, she said, or just daydreaming? Daydreaming of course, I said. Good, she said, and walked back out again - knowing full well, of course, that I was actually thinking about work and better not disturbed.

Bosses who need to micromanage your time will never succeed in managing your work.

[SallyAnne]

Filthy disgusting habit

You should all be burned. BURNED!

[Cowboy Bob]

I often go for a wander round the car park, not always to have a smoke. A short stroll often helps me think about new ways to attack a particularly hard problem. I'm with the "thinking time" theory on this one. And I don't tell the client either, I'm not kept on a leash...

[Jog On]

Ironically I used to do things like that as a permie all the time and thought nothing of it.

[oracleslave]

My plan B isn't at that stage yet but even if it was I'd still appreciate a reference and open door.

I get the point about 'asking for permission', I did it out of politeness and respect for the client as I get on well with them and they've been good to me. Is it not also the professional thing to do?

permie

[Jog On]

Set your IM to "Away" and block 10 mins or whatever in your Outlook/Notes as "Unavailable". Switch your phone off (or ignore it). Contact probs sorted.

As for asking whether you can do that: what do you do for going to the toilet? You just do it.


Saw an entry last week in the American contracors board where he had done that, and his manager came running after him in the car park to ask whether that had been authorized. His Plan B was almost ready, so he quit on the spot. One up for US-style employment practises! I'd happily work on that basis: fire / quit at will.

My plan B isn't at that stage yet but even if it was I'd still appreciate a reference and open door.

I get the point about 'asking for permission', I did it out of politeness and respect for the client as I get on well with them and they've been good to me. Is it not also the professional thing to do?

[expat]

I checked with my client if they minded me going to the bank instead of just going MIA and possibly getting phoned up en route with beeping traffic in the background.

Next time I'll just declare that I'm going and if they've got a problem with that they can.....um fire me?

Set your IM to "Away" and block 10 mins or whatever in your Outlook/Notes as "Unavailable". Switch your phone off (or ignore it). Contact probs sorted.

As for asking whether you can do that: what do you do for going to the toilet? You just do it.


Saw an entry last week in the American contracors board where he had done that, and his manager came running after him in the car park to ask whether that had been authorized. His Plan B was almost ready, so he quit on the spot. One up for US-style employment practises! I'd happily work on that basis: fire / quit at will.

[Jog On]

You did whaaaat?

I checked with my client if they minded me going to the bank instead of just going MIA and possibly getting phoned up en route with beeping traffic in the background.

Next time I'll just declare that I'm going and if they've got a problem with that they can.....um fire me?

Or

Take my entitled 10 minutes for a pot noodle and a think, there's nothing about that in my contract but I'll just assume it's a given.

[expat]

I had to go to the bank the other day and when I asked if it was OK I got frowned at

You did whaaaat?

[Jog On]

Thinking breaks it is then!

Back in 10

[dang65]

What I'm curious about is as a contractor do you take fag breaks, and if so how many and do you amend your timesheet accordingly?

Does the client just let you do it?

I'm off the ciggies at the moment, but I used to smoke when I was at a previous place a couple of years ago. The company had notices posted up decreeing when fag breaks could be taken - one break between 10-10.30am and one break between 2.30-3pm (plus lunchbreak, obviously). Anyway, us contractors who smoked made a point of completely ignoring that rule and going whenever we felt like it. That was probably once every 1 1/2hrs on average, maybe less, so it didn't actually make a difference, it was just the principle of the thing.

It's up to non-smokers to take their entitled screen breaks anyway. It's not the smokers' problem. Personally, I often take "thinking breaks" from my code. I just go for a stroll, maybe put some music on loud in the headphones, and have a little think about the best way to approach some problem or other. Don't think anyone's ever had a problem with me doing that, and I know that other people do it too. Fag breaks are good as thinking breaks too, if you're a smoker. So it should all be claimable as far as I'm concerned.

[kali]

...I had to go to the bank the other day and when I asked if it was OK I got frowned at (had to be there before 12 am so couldn't do it at lunch time).

If I need to do something like that I tell the client, I don't ask. You're not a permie FFS.

[Bagpuss]

"What he said" sounds wrong, is it actually English or some sad Americanism?

The kids of today like innit!