My firm wants to send me, a designer (salary), along with the Technical staff to a 3day seminar to teach us Architectural Desktop. I would be the Design department representative. I've been told to make up the 24 seminar hours through out the month to compensate for the lost chargeable time. Do you think this is standard business practice?
You say that your firm wants to send you to this. If it's the case that this was their idea then no, they shouldn't require you to make up billable hours.
However, if it was your idea to attend and you asked if you could, then it wouldn't be unreasonable - or unusual - to expect you to make up the time. Especially as the whole tech staff is going it seems a bit excessive to send four people to a software seminar. How big is your firm? My firm and most smaller firms I've worked in would typically send only one or two people to something like that and then expect them to teach an overview of what they learned to others who need to use that software.
Interestingly enough, the head of IT will be attending as well. As he is not chargeable regularly, he has not been asked to make up his time. It seems that this firm has grown accustomed to its often used recession line: "you are lucky you still have a job"!
I have serious doubts on the validity of architectural desktop, as i believe autocad should remain, for the benefit of the profession, a simple drafting tool.
bloopox - I didn't request to go. 6 techs, 1 design, 1 interior design, 1 IT.
Maybe you could suggest that the tech staff update you when they get back and that it would be better for productivity/billability if you didn't attend.
My firm sent me (and anyone in the office willing to go which was about 10 people) to an ADT workshop coupla years back. It was about 5 days, in the evening, so the firm said they'd pay us the overtime but only for half of it. Thought that was fair. But to make up the time - F#@$ that! ADT is very nice to use by the way, though I don't use it to it's full potential whatsoever. Let me reiterate: Fuck them. If they're sending you, it's on their dime. It's billed as professional development. Or something like that.
If the firm wants to send you, then they should put the hours in "education", which is overhead. You should absolutely not have to make up those hours "over the course of the month" - that's like asking you to attend a course on a Saturday out of the goodness of your heart.
Simples!
Get back to work! and forget that course!
It was going to be in Hawaii, but tough break for you!
Signed, 'Simples' Boss'
Kidding - work is work, your time is yours. too many principals forget that their business is just that - THEIR BUSINESS - employees shouldn't be required to invest anything more than fair and conscientious effort.
simples,
if your boss is acting as though there's no overhead to support non-billable time, then be sure to ask them to compensate you at your billable rate. i mean they're using an awfully small multiplier right?
I concur with everyone else but don't have anything else meaningful to add, except to say that the market is pretty good right now and you should be able to find a job at a REAL design firm, instead of staying with one that treats you like a well-educated appendage to their IT department.
simple, just let them think you will make up the hours and don't.
if they say anything about it just say " i thought you were kidding about making up the hours, your don't seriously expect me to do something you requested on my own time, do you?"
no respectable firm would expect you to do this for free,
it's ridiculous.
Aug 13, 05 1:34 am ·
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Billable Time Makeup
My firm wants to send me, a designer (salary), along with the Technical staff to a 3day seminar to teach us Architectural Desktop. I would be the Design department representative. I've been told to make up the 24 seminar hours through out the month to compensate for the lost chargeable time. Do you think this is standard business practice?
Or to try to pass one off on you - putting you in a situation where they can take advantage of your willingness to "please" them...
that's ridiculous. this isn't a vacation of yours. don't do it.
You say that your firm wants to send you to this. If it's the case that this was their idea then no, they shouldn't require you to make up billable hours.
However, if it was your idea to attend and you asked if you could, then it wouldn't be unreasonable - or unusual - to expect you to make up the time. Especially as the whole tech staff is going it seems a bit excessive to send four people to a software seminar. How big is your firm? My firm and most smaller firms I've worked in would typically send only one or two people to something like that and then expect them to teach an overview of what they learned to others who need to use that software.
Interestingly enough, the head of IT will be attending as well. As he is not chargeable regularly, he has not been asked to make up his time. It seems that this firm has grown accustomed to its often used recession line: "you are lucky you still have a job"!
I have serious doubts on the validity of architectural desktop, as i believe autocad should remain, for the benefit of the profession, a simple drafting tool.
bloopox - I didn't request to go. 6 techs, 1 design, 1 interior design, 1 IT.
get sick, violently sick the day before.
Maybe you could suggest that the tech staff update you when they get back and that it would be better for productivity/billability if you didn't attend.
My firm sent me (and anyone in the office willing to go which was about 10 people) to an ADT workshop coupla years back. It was about 5 days, in the evening, so the firm said they'd pay us the overtime but only for half of it. Thought that was fair. But to make up the time - F#@$ that! ADT is very nice to use by the way, though I don't use it to it's full potential whatsoever. Let me reiterate: Fuck them. If they're sending you, it's on their dime. It's billed as professional development. Or something like that.
i agree with shalak...
but then again its not hard to spread 24 bogus hours out over multiple billable projects in one month... how would anyone know?
but it does sound trashy that they expect you to make up the time and THEN be the lead for desktop in your studio!
tell us who you work for :D
If the firm wants to send you, then they should put the hours in "education", which is overhead. You should absolutely not have to make up those hours "over the course of the month" - that's like asking you to attend a course on a Saturday out of the goodness of your heart.
Simples!
Get back to work! and forget that course!
It was going to be in Hawaii, but tough break for you!
Signed, 'Simples' Boss'
Kidding - work is work, your time is yours. too many principals forget that their business is just that - THEIR BUSINESS - employees shouldn't be required to invest anything more than fair and conscientious effort.
simples,
if your boss is acting as though there's no overhead to support non-billable time, then be sure to ask them to compensate you at your billable rate. i mean they're using an awfully small multiplier right?
it's bullshit.
I concur with everyone else but don't have anything else meaningful to add, except to say that the market is pretty good right now and you should be able to find a job at a REAL design firm, instead of staying with one that treats you like a well-educated appendage to their IT department.
what K said...i concurrently concur....
you don't want to end up like this guy
|
V
DOH!
^
|
..simples....
simple, just let them think you will make up the hours and don't.
if they say anything about it just say " i thought you were kidding about making up the hours, your don't seriously expect me to do something you requested on my own time, do you?"
no respectable firm would expect you to do this for free,
it's ridiculous.
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