Contract renewal timelines

[Yahaan]

Hello guys,

I had signed up on a job contract for 1 year, about 10 months back. It looks like my contract will be renewed. But I am just curious, how much in advance will I actually get to sign the renewed contract? My notice period is 1 month, so will it be 1 month before? Or are they going to keep me nervous until like the last week of contract?

Just wanted to know how it works in case of others who have yearly renewal of contracts.

Thanks in advance!

[ecureilx]

Hello guys,

I had signed up on a job contract for 1 year, about 10 months back. It looks like my contract will be renewed. But I am just curious, how much in advance will I actually get to sign the renewed contract? My notice period is 1 month, so will it be 1 month before? Or are they going to keep me nervous until like the last week of contract?

Just wanted to know how it works in case of others who have yearly renewal of contracts.

Thanks in advance!

Doesn't your contract say anything on that regards ?

It depends on company

if the company is keeping quite, and you are on a work pass, then likely they are not gonna renew it. You know your pass needs to be submitted for renewal about 6 weeks ahead of expiry right ?

[Yahaan]

Thanks Ecureilx for replying, really appreciate it.





My work pass came with a validity of 2 years when it was initially applied for. It still has 1 more year left, So no issues on that. My contract says nothing about renewal.




My immediate team lead told me that bare minimum, it will be renewed, if not converted to perm, but he doesn't have the powers, he went and conveyed to our dept head and after that no reply from either of them, I also haven't followed up. It's been a month already.

[Yahaan]

Any advices please? I know this can be vary from company to company, but still I would like to know generally how contracts roll over. I would imagine contracts are common here in SG, so any experiences would help me decide.

[Strong Eagle]

There is no advice except this... expect your contract renewal negotiations to last long past your expiration date... but don't worry... they'll keep paying you... as senior managers argue as to whether the payroll or capital budgets should take your salary hit. You may get renewed... you may get screwed.

You must press for a resolution because they really don't give a shit about your situation. They'll drag it out and renew you or drag it out and cut you. And all the while you don't know if you should hunt for new employment or wait.

Start hunting.

About the only thing you could really do in your next contract would be to negotiate exit terms. Good luck with that one.

[Yahaan]

Thanks Strong Eagle, that really helps. It didn't occur to me that i could continue to work past my contract end date without a new contract in place.

[Yahaan]

Now only 2 weeks to go and still no signs of renewal. There is lots of work and I have a lot of knowledge to be transferred, so I dont think they can cut me off so easily. This position cannot be purged, so my contract renewal is inevitable. But why haven't I got the official offer for renewal yet, that still beats me.

[Strong Eagle]

But why haven't I got the official offer for renewal yet, that still beats me. Are they too complacent, that I am not going to quit?

You can bet money that there is a financial battle going on somewhere, and while the person(s) who hire you and whom you work for want you to stay, the ones who want to eliminate expense could not care less about you... it's all about the dollars.

I've seen horribly short sighted moves with respect to contractors over and over again... I was a victim of such a move myself. In theory, the contractor is supposedly temporary but in reality, fills a need that is not temporary at all. The contractor's manager either tries to get the contract extended or turned into a permanent position. But the budget cycle doesn't allow.

It may well be that funds were not allocated at the beginning of the budget year to extend you beyond your contract date. Now, they area scrambling to find the money and some tight-assed CFO who knows nothing about what is actually happening on the ground, refuses to cooperate.

To answer your question... they are not complacent... they are incompetent... and if your immediate boss isn't telling you the unvarnished truth about what is actually going on behind the scenes, he is a coward.

Professional employees, contract or not, need to be treated with respect. Given that they absolutely don't appear to care whether you leave or not, I'd say you are under zero obligation to them. Do what works for your life. And while I might not want to get into a deep discussion about my future, you certainly should ask, "It's two weeks away and I still don't know if I'm going to be working here... what's up", even if you have another job lined up.

[Yahaan]

Thanks a lot Strong Eagle. I feel a lot better after reading your post, really appreciate it!

[MikeJones]

As Strong Eagle said, do what you need to do and don't worry about upsetting your current employer and colleagues. I've been involved in a number of projects over the years where we've lost vital contract members of the team due to dithering over renewing contracts and I've never been annoyed with the contractor in question only with the idiots in charge. If you'd been negotiating renewal for months and then suddenly spring a resignation on them, then sure they would have cause to be upset but if they haven't even bothered starting talks about renewal with two weeks to go then they can hardly complain when you accept an offer elsewhere.

Mike

[Yahaan]

Thanks Mike, really appreciate it.

[Yahaan]

Can I take leave during notice period? There is no leave encashment in our company.

[sundaymorningstaple]

According to MOM law, you cannot take leave during your notice period unless you have specific permission from the employer. If you take leave, you are not working out your notice as the notice period is meant for turning over to your replacement. They will probably not give approval to go on leave unless they just as soon see the backside of you as well.

[Yahaan]

Thanks a lot SundayMorningStaple, really appreciate the info you have given.

What would your advice be for me, in this scenario?

[Yahaan]

SundayMorningStaple, I just look at the MoM site and it appears to be contradictory to what you stated:

http://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practi ... ith-notice

If you apply for annual leave during your notice period, and your employer approves it:

You will be paid for the full notice period.
You are considered an employee until the last day.
You cannot join a new company until the notice period is over.