Solved: Should I stop the tracker?

d34c4369 · ‎07-19-2021

I've been working for one month now and I've gotten the hang of my job.

It was stated on the contract that they needed a full-time VA. However, I have currently finished most of my work and I am waiting for approvals and updates from clients and contracted firms (I work as a VA for a company). No new work/case has been coming in that falls under my responsibility. I still stay up following central standard time even though I am currently in Asia.

Do you think I should turn off the time tracker? I do feel bad when I'm just idly waiting for updates, so I turn it off.

prestonhunter · ‎07-19-2021

There is a technical issue and a moral/ethical issue.

The technical issue is that if you're not doing anything, the tracker won't log time anyway.

An idle computer doesn't record time using Upwork's desktop time-tracker.

And the moral/ethical issue is that if a client hired me to work for 8 hours in a day, and then the work dries up and there is nothing to do for 7 hours... and I'm actually spending that time watching Netflix or painting my house... I can't in good conscience charge the client. That might be fine if I am a firefighter and I'm physically in the firehouse just hanging out waiting for a fire to fight. But that's not really what freelancing is about.

If you talk to the client and the client WANTS you to be on "standby", at a desk waiting for new work to come in, then the client needs to pay you for that time. But you may need to arrange to use manual time. Because the time-tracker simply won't work if you're not doing anything on the computer.

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lysis10 · ‎07-19-2021

Did they agree to have you set aside a specific block of time every week or are they just slowing down and don't need you right now?

d34c4369 · ‎07-19-2021

We didn't talk about that actually. The client just said to keep on waiting as new work/cases will be trickling in today.

prestonhunter · ‎07-19-2021

There is a technical issue and a moral/ethical issue.

The technical issue is that if you're not doing anything, the tracker won't log time anyway.

An idle computer doesn't record time using Upwork's desktop time-tracker.

And the moral/ethical issue is that if a client hired me to work for 8 hours in a day, and then the work dries up and there is nothing to do for 7 hours... and I'm actually spending that time watching Netflix or painting my house... I can't in good conscience charge the client. That might be fine if I am a firefighter and I'm physically in the firehouse just hanging out waiting for a fire to fight. But that's not really what freelancing is about.

If you talk to the client and the client WANTS you to be on "standby", at a desk waiting for new work to come in, then the client needs to pay you for that time. But you may need to arrange to use manual time. Because the time-tracker simply won't work if you're not doing anything on the computer.

feed_my_eyes · ‎07-19-2021

Ross L wrote:
I still stay up following central standard time even though I am currently in Asia.

If the client wants you to be sitting at your desk for specific hours each day - especially if it's causing you to stay up half the night - then they should pay you a retainer, or you can use manual time as Preston suggested. You shouldn't feel bad about this, either - your client requested a full time VA, so they should pay you full time. If they want to reduce your hours, then they'll have to allow you to take on additional clients (or at least go to bed at a reasonable hour!), and run the risk that you won't be available. But they have to choose one or the other - they can't keep you available full time, while only paying you for the hours that you actually work.