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Compensation For Working Weekends


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I was wondering if anyone has any experience or advice on what to ask for financially if you are asked to start working extra days or half days outside what you already work. For example, I work Monday through Thursday from 830-630. I have been asked to start doing stem cell injections(which I have done and am fully capable of doing) a couple Fridays a month. I am paid salary, and likely this would pay hourly. I would have to drive maybe an hour each way to get there and back and would work either half a day every other Friday or a full day one Friday a month. It was suggested by a colleague that since I already work full time and it is so far outside of my way on a day that I'm not scheduled to work, that I should ask for almost 4 times what my hourly pay would be if you broke my salary down that way. It seems like a little too much to me, but these injections do bring in quite a bit of money. I just don't have much experience with this and just thought I would see if anyone has any advice or experience with this. 

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Not going to directly refute the above suggestions.

But HR and other parties that do hiring will ask the candidate what they are looking for concerning compensation based upon several reasons.

1. They use your expectation to determine if you are a serious hire for them. No sense pursuing you if your expectations vary widely from what they are prepared to provide.

2. They themselves have no idea what to pay because there is no precedent and you may establish that for them.

3. They already know what they will pay up to but are counting on the fact that most candidates will not be savvy enough to have a number that recognizes worth and your expectation is lower than they would pay, they are happy to pay you $75/ hr when prepared to pay $100 / hr.

This is all negotiation 101. Any answer to their question places them in the driver's seat and control of the process rather than where the control should lie, with the party that has the skills, knowledge and attitude needed to directly provide the service. 

Since you are asking on this forum, you don't know what your worth is to this place other than you know that the injections are lucrative. The potential profit from these injections accounts for a competent provider to provide the injections. The employer is smart to hire a PA or NP to do this procedure vs paying a physician, who would eclipse the salary range in mind. A general internist median salary is about $200k, about $111/ hr based upon a 1800 hr work year. A 30% adjustment to this hourly rate due to no benefits brings that rate to nearly a $150. Savvy physicians would start far north of this number, because as pointed out above, time is valuable and median is only at the 50% measure with 50% or more to go. If there is competition from others to provide this service, engagement in this negotiation will be short since there are more candidates to consider. Alternatively, if these people are pressing up against a timeline and needed someone yesterday, they may say yes to a number that exceeds 100% of expectations. That said, everyone has a number they will think is worth it based upon their needs for the money. What is worthwhile to one person may be a waste of time for another.

Best to counter their question with this reply: (smile, make eye contact) What do I expect for pay? (wait several beats, smile more)  I don't know what the compensation should be for this position. What is the range that has been determined? When I have that information, I can determine if the salary is commensurate with the travel, time and responsibilities associated with the position so that I don't agree to something I cannot deliver. (stop talking) If you get an answer then, you may be able to quickly close or decline. If they cannot, ask for a firm deadline with an answer. If they cannot get back to you within a reasonable time frame, they are disrespecting your time and abilities. Do you want to work for someone that does that?

Good luck

George

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