Q & A Table of Contents
Getting Paid Extra For Work Beyond My Job Obligations
From: Raja, Selangor, Malaysia
Question: What can I do about compensation from my company to prepare lecture modules and tutoring to engineers and technicians in the construction industry?
In brief, I am a senior consultant. My company has been appointed by a local construction body to prepare training modules and lectures and present these modules to outside agencies, contractors and consultants employees ( i.e. engineers , technicians, etc..). Our company shall be paid a lump sum for this work.
What I need to know is, shall I request a small fee from my management for preparing modules and lectures?
Presently, I am appointed as project manager to manage construction projects. Therefore, my duties are not related to the above subject matter.
Response: If you have not yet accepted the assignment, you are in a good bargaining position. You can say, 'The work sounds interesting. How much will I be paid to do the job?" It would be wise to have an idea of how much money makes sense to entice you to undertake the task.
If you have already accepted this assignment without having raised the issue of extra pay, that puts you in a difficult spot should you decide to raise the question of extra pay for a job you've already accepted. Nonetheless, if, as you begin the work you can say to your management that the job is taking extra time and that you may have to choose between your normal duties and the development of the training program. Give them a sense of how much time is involved and ask them whether they would be prepared to compensate you for that extra time.
In the second scenario, where you've already accepted the job, you need to have considered how much the company is being paid. If you have an idea of what proportion of the company's fees for construction management gets to you, that may help you figure out a fair level of compensation for this additional set of duties.
Remember, it never hurts to ask.
Good luck,
Steve
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