Unpaid Overtime
This article, about unpaid overtime, was posted by an IT Contractor reader in the Comments section after one of our articles.
Nights Drafting Templates
I got stuck into a contract a couple of months ago where there were no templates, no docs, nothing.
In a bid to help out, I spent nights drafting templates, showed the permies how to use the templates, even went so fast as to draft a programme plan and individual project plans for everyone else.
Due to deadlines, I was at the office by 7, no lunch hours and certainly no leaving early either.
Contract Terminated
However, 2 months into the contract, I was told they’d run out of funds.
So, on the last day, I had half the country to drive home. So, asked if I could set off at 3 instead of 5.
Everyone seemed to think this was in order. So I took the long drive up, thinking of more ways to help them keep the project on track.
Client Questioning Hours
Naturally, I’d submitted my hours before I left. However, I received a call from my agent the following Monday, telling me they were questioning the 2 hours I left early.
Luckily for me, my agent was fast enough to ask if they wanted him to submit all the hours overtime I’d worked every day.
In the end they paid the 2 hours. However, it does leave you wondering why you go the extra mile to help out when at the end of the day, they do this.
You feel like rubbish because you ‘stole’ 2 hours on the last day.
IT Contractor Comment
This is something that loads of contractors have found, i.e. that companies will take and take and take but when they are asked to give they don‘t like to do so.
Your agent quite correctly told them that you were on a daily rate and as you often worked more than the normal number of hours then it worked both ways.
Still, it was a bit slimy of the company but I would have to say fairly typical.
So many clients want you to do unpaid overtime.
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