Time Tracker when working away from Computer

shawnvw · ‎11-08-2018

I will be working in a client's office. I can take my laptop and use it to run the Time Tracker, but a large part of my job will involve meetings with employees and other tasks that won't show up as "activity".

I'll be working 8 hours a day, but I don't want a large part of it to be non-guaranteed just because I'm working away from the computer. I also don't want to be like that guy on the show "Lost", having to go back to my laptop to wiggle the mouse every 10 minutes throughout the workday.

Is there something I can do about this?

petra_r · ‎11-08-2018

@Shawn W wrote:

I'll be working 8 hours a day, but I don't want a large part of it to be non-guaranteed just because I'm working away from the computer. I also don't want to be like that guy on the show "Lost", having to go back to my laptop to wiggle the mouse every 10 minutes throughout the workday.

Is there something I can do about this?

Nope. And "wiggling the mouse" every 10 minutes would result in un-protected time anyway as activity levels would be low.

Do you have reason to distrust the client?

shawnvw · ‎11-08-2018

I don't think I have reason to, but a) I've never worked with this client before, b) I'm actually subcontracting for the client; he won't be there at the worksite to see what I'm doing, and c) I've never had a job on Upwork that ran 8 hours per day for several weeks. There's more money at stake here than I've ever had.

petra_r · ‎11-08-2018

@Shawn W wrote:
I don't think I have reason to, but a) I've never worked with this client before, b) I'm actually subcontracting for the client; he won't be there at the worksite to see what I'm doing, and c) I've never had a job on Upwork that ran 8 hours per day for several weeks. There's more money at stake here than I've ever had.

Ah. Ouch.

I'd have set that up as a fixed rate contract with the money in Escrow for the first week and so on. Does the client have lots of good Upwork history?

shawnvw · ‎11-08-2018

Ah. Ouch.
I'd have set that up as a fixed rate contract with the money in Escrow for the first week and so on. Does the client have lots of good Upwork history?

It's his first Upwork contract, although he does work with independant contractors as a regular agency too. (That's part of why I'm worried. This is a new experience for him too.)

petra_r · ‎11-08-2018

@Shawn W wrote:

Ah. Ouch.
I'd have set that up as a fixed rate contract with the money in Escrow for the first week and so on. Does the client have lots of good Upwork history?

It's his first Upwork contract, although he does work with independant contractors as a regular agency too. (That's part of why I'm worried. This is a new experience for him too.)

Ah. Well.... Good luck with that...

To be honest, chances are it'll be fine but this is a very unusual situation, that's for sure. I'm right out of ideas other than making this a fixed rate contract with funded weekly milestones.

PS - Ignore me, listen to the wise lady above (Tonya) - That gives you a balance between security and risk.

tlbp · ‎11-08-2018

It is a risk, but probably no greater risk than working with a new client on your own. You are simply losing a protection that Upwork provides as a benefit. If you feel confident in the client, I would track the hours you can and simply take the risk on the other time invested. You won't want to close this contract without any money earned. However, you could bill a small amount and then ask the client to close the hourly contract and re-issue a new contract that includes a weekly salary or use a fixed price contract.