Can a client stop the clock unilaterally?

[rodrigoestrada]

I have been working for a client for 2 weeks. My time limit was set to 10 hours per week.

However, I worked around 50 hours during the first week—even though the time limit was set to 10 hours, as I said. Luckily, we eventually agreed on some 14 hours of manual time.

But during the second week, I saw that the work clock had been stopped at the 7h 30min mark. Nevertheless, I kept working up to a total of 40 hours because I was engrossed in the project and I am stupid enough. Overall, the clock only recorded 8 hours 30 minutes of work during that second week.

Is it possible that my client was stopping the clock? I am 100% positive that I had activated it.

Can I do anything about it?

Best regards.

PS: eventually my client hasn't paid me the agreed manual time...

[prestonhunter]

A client may pause or close a contract at any time, for any reason.

Unilaterally.

There is nothing wrong with that.

A client can NOT stop the time-tracker from working.

re: "eventually my client hasn't paid me the agreed manual time..."

Rodrigo, there is some amount of misunderstanding on your part about how these things work. Manually logged time is paid automatically, unless a client disputes it to have it removed.

I doubt that has happened. Are you certain you mean "manual time?" I think you may be referring to time logged beyond the weekly allowed time. Which is not paid to freelancers regardless of whether that time is manually logged or logged using the time-tracker tool.

[rodrigoestrada]

Hi Preston, thanks for the answer.

I can assure you that the time tracker had been stopped several times from 7:30 to 8:30.

[prestonhunter]

re: "I can assure you that the time tracker had been stopped several times from 7:30 to 8:30"

I believe you. But that does not mean the client clicked a button to stop the time clock. You may be thinking of the time tracker as a time clock.

It is not a time clock.

It stops on its own or stops recording time during periods of insufficient activity.

Also, a client pausing or closing a contract can impact what happens.

[yitwail]

---

Preston H wrote:

It stops on its own or stops recording time during periods of insufficient activity.

---

Just to clarify what Preston wrote, if you start time tracker at 7:30 and stop it at 8:30 but never move the mouse or press a key during that hour, then you will not be credited with any work, because as far as timetracker can tell, you didn't do any work.

[rodrigoestrada]

Hi John, thanks for your input.

However, I was hired for the role of creative director. My job involves thinking, and thinking does not necessarily involve moving the mouse or pressing keys.

I guess Upwork is dummy-oriented.

[a_lipsey]

---

Rodrigo E wrote:

Hi John, thanks for your input.

However, I was hired for the role of creative director. My job involves thinking, and thinking does not necessarily involve moving the mouse or pressing keys.

I guess Upwork is dummy-oriented.

---

I'm failing to see how jobs that require keystrokes or mouse clicks are "dummy -oriented" jobs.   

If you paid more attention to how Upwork contracts work, you would not be having this problem to start with. It has nothing to do with how great you think your are or how superior you are to everyone else. If an hourly contract does not fit well with the kind of work taht you do, then  it would be better to set up a fixed price contract.  If they are paying for your ideas and not your hours, then you should price your ideas accordingly and offer a fixed price so that you don't have an issue trying to bill for hours that the client hasn't approved. 

[petra_r]

ANY time, manual or tracked, in excess of the weekly limit, is not invoiced or charged. The client can only pay such time as a bonus. 

Clients can not "stop the clock" without pausing the contract. What happened has nothing to do with anything the client did or did not do. You expected the tracker to count your thinking time, and it doesn't do that. If there is no mouse or keyboard activity in a 10 minute segment, the tracker does not count it.

As far as "dummy oriented" is concerned, well, funny how us dummies get paid for our work, and people who muddle along with no clue how the system works and no interest in finding out how it works, don't.

It begs the question who's the "dummy", does it not?

[rodrigoestrada]

Yes, I mean manual time. There's no misunderstanding.

The contract said 10 hours per week, no manual time. Afterwards I asked if I could log extra manual time in the timetable. The client agreed. Added just 14 hours spread out across the week from monday to sunday.

The client did not approve said manual time, hence I did not get paid for these extra 14 hours.

[prestonhunter]

I am sorry if you worked any hours for which you were not paid.

But you should understand that clients NEVER approve manually logged time. There is no such function.

Manually logged time is approved AUTOMATICALLY. If a client does not want to pay for that time, she must intentionally dispute it with Upwork.

[rodrigoestrada]

Thanks Preston.

Then I guess he has disputed it with Upwork, because I haven't seen that money. And even though I have asked him, he has not bothered to reply.

[lysis10]

If you think it will take longer than the max, you have to ask the client to extend the hours or wait until the following week.

[tlsanders]

You've worked 70 hours more than the client has allotted--more than four times what you were hired for--and ultimately been paid for 31 of 90 hours?

Whatever the client may or may not have done to block that additional ❤️ hours is the least of your worries. 

[rodrigoestrada]

Hi Tiffany.

Yeah, on hindsight it looks very stupid on my behalf. However, I am glad to share my experience with you and whoever has never been in my position.

This is what talented, internationally awarded creative directors who love their job do when a world-class client with unique, patented products with no competitors approaches them and invites them to a pitch. They work their ass off in order to win, even under appalling conditions, because they are aware that this is an investment with massive returns.

[wlyonsatl]

Rodrigo,

You should leave condescension to other posters here who have a lot more practice at it.

Under Upwork's rules, Upwork has no interest in or ability to enforce payment of any manually-booked hours, regardless whether a client "agreed" to them in any way. So, if a client doesn't want to pay you for them, you'll have to pursue other avenues to enforce payment on your own.

As an experienced expert in your field, it seems to me you should have been able to better estimate the time needed to do what the client wanted done and set up the project's hours limit more in line with the time you actually had to spend on this. I doubt there are many clients on Upwork who would be happy to pay for so much time worked above the amount agreed to contractually. 

[feed_my_eyes]

---

Rodrigo E wrote:

This is what talented, internationally awarded creative directors who love their job do when a world-class client with unique, patented products with no competitors approaches them and invites them to a pitch. They work their ass off in order to win, even under appalling conditions, because they are aware that this is an investment with massive returns.

---

I'm sincerely confused now. From reading your original post, it doesn't sound like you're okay with having worked so many hours for free. If you're willing to work your ass off just as an investment, then why would you approach the client for more money afterwards? And if you know what you're doing and you're so sure of yourself, then why ask for advice from us dummies?

[lysis10]

Me when someone with a thinking job on Upwork calls me a dummy: