A contractor recently asked the contractor community for help after his client told him they expected a contractor to work a 9-10 hour day, even though his contract stated a 7.5 hour day. He is worried that his contract might be terminated if he does not work the hours the client now expects.
This made us here at Independent Contractor Services (ICS) ask the question; do clients expect you, as a contractor, to work longer hours than a permanent employee?
The contractor asked for help via the Shout 99 forum and already other contractors have responded with their experiences. One contractor commented that with one client, he felt the permanent employees and managers expected him to work longer hours because he was earning “mega bucks”.
Contractors often work more hours than expected to meet the project deadlines without any overtime or enhanced rates. However choosing to work more hours and being expected to work more hours are two different things.
If you are a contractor working via an umbrella company and you haven’t opted out of the Working Time Directive, as an ‘employed’ worker you are lawfully only permitted to work a maximum 48 hour week however if you are a contractor working via your own limited company, you may be expected to work extra hours to get the project finished.
What are your experiences? Are you expected to work more hours as a contractor than a permanent employee would?
