Home Based - When do I start work?

[skirt]

I have been working for a company for 6 years and have a contract for 35 hours per week. My contracts states I am home based. Lots of my job involves travelling round my patch and if I have to be in Brum, for example at 9 am, I leave home at 5.30 am and as far as I am concerned, my day starts at 5.30 am.

We had a conversation (about something else)with our HR manager a month or so ago, where she said that she didnt get travel time (she is HQ based) so we shouldn't class travel time as working hours. Now I've ignored that as its patent rubbish abd I dont really want to flag it up or make a fuss unless I have to. Anyone got experience of this?

I too am home based and count travel time - I spend probably about 30% of my weekly hours actually travelling.

I also start my hours from the moment I get in the car. The whole point of me being home-based is because I spend so much time out in the field - therefore no point in being HQ based and the additional office costs etc.

I also have the flexibility to arrange my diary to start later should I need to do so.

Thats exactly the same as me BB - I'd be working a 70 hour week with half of it unpaid if I didnt count travel time. Thanks for that x

Works the same if you're office based - if you have a meeting elsewhere which means that you have to leave at 6am instead of 8am (and someone else does school run) time starts at 6am or at the time when you would have reached the office if you're going in that direction (ie it takes 20mins to get to the office and I'm going in that direction even though I'm not calling in, so just start the time 20mins later.)

What does your contract say skirt? Many contracts say 35 (or whatever) hours but also include a 'however many hours to get the job done' clause, or similar. What does it say about overtime?

The HR person might be thinking about the 2 hours a day people who work in the office spend commuting without getting paid for it, and thinking that if your day often starts at 9 and finishes at 5 it's fair enough that when you travel further afield, that time is unpaid.

I'm not saying that's right, just giving another point of view. What your contract says is the key really.

My contract just says 35 hours per week, no mention of anything else! I've never worried about clocking on and off so to speak, yesterday I set off at 6 and got home at 6 but only will class that as a normal day as the rest of week is normal 9-5's but if they are going to start getting bloody picky, I might start getting picky back!

I was just really narked that this woman, as head of HR was more or less saying I should work for free! I shall ignore her, as I have been doing for the last 7 years Thanks for your replies, preciate it.

I'm homebased, but have a contract that doesn't pay overtime, or allow me to take time back. Our home based field engineers do get paid from the moment they leave home to the moment they get back. I do know some people where their time starts/mileage starts at the point they pass the office if they have to pass it to get to where they are going

I do have flexibility, although not officially, but the only time I will formally say that I am having a day in lieu is if I am actually away at the weekend or a bank holiday.

Do you claim overtime for extra hours travelling then? Was she saying you can't any longer? Or do you take time in lieu of long days and she was saying you shouldn't?