Ask HN: Do you charge to take a shit?

#1

Post by mrschwabe » Fri, Dec 10, 2010, 4:09 AM UTC

I was doing some hourly rate software work for a client and had an interesting dilemma... do I charge them for taking a shit?

Initially I wasn't billing for shits but I got thinking... all those hourly rate jobs I had as a kid - they always paid me to take a shit. Even 15 min breaks were paid, heck sometimes even lunch.

I've been using a stopwatch timer to track hourly rate time. Stop the stopwatch before bathroom breaks or no?

Re: Ask HN: Do you charge to take a shit?

#2

Post by kyrai » Fri, Dec 10, 2010, 4:13 AM UTC

For small stuff, I just let the timer run. If I was at there office and getting paid hourly, I would get paid for it right?

Re: Ask HN: Do you charge to take a shit?

#3

Post by interlock » Fri, Dec 10, 2010, 4:26 AM UTC

You can add my vote to, "Clients pay for my shits". They also pay for me reading Reddit and YComb. Honestly, 15 minutes isn't going to break any billing you have. Now, if you happen to take a lot of "breaks", you may want to stick with your current system. I'm a one "break" a day kind of guy...

Re: Ask HN: Do you charge to take a shit?

#4

Post by aspir » Fri, Dec 10, 2010, 4:49 AM UTC

I sometimes do my best thinking on the john :)

You should also charge if you take a bath for the same reason. Alan Greenspan took a bath every day, and claimed he did his best creative thinking there.