Uplift in rate for working away. What is considered fair?

[airsafari87]

Not so long ago in a previous role with a different employer I had to spend a lot of time working out of the country and got treat very well for it.

I'm now working for a smaller company in high insurance industries and there may be a need for me to work away from home for the next year, and potentially the next 2 years.
Its UK based but about as far north as it is possible to go, so a good 8 hour or so drive from my home in the North east.

I have agreed, if the work does land, is to travel up on the Monday of week 1, work on site for the remainder of that week, plus Mon till Thursday the following week and then travel home on the Friday. And then work the next 2 weeks from our main office before starting that cycle again.

Because I'm out of touch as to what is reasonable with regard to disruption allowance for working away from home what should I expect?

Paid travel will be covered.
Accomodation will be covered.
Evening meal will be covered.

[deckster]

What was the stated expectation for working away from home when you took the job? What you describe is a very normal working pattern for a lot of roles and I wouldn't necessarily expect any uplift.

[Mr Pointy]

Given the expenses being paid for I'd have expected the disruption element for that sort of work pattern to have been factored in to your basic rate/wage.

What are you doing on the middle weekend when you're away? Travelling back, working or lounging around the hotel/apartment?

[airsafari87]

deckster said:

What was the stated expectation for working away from home when you took the job? What you describe is a very normal working pattern for a lot of roles and I wouldn't necessarily expect any uplift.

There wasn't any.
The role was an office based role but this particular client of ours has a requirement for 1 person to work at their site alongside their own team.

[airsafari87]

Mr Pointy said:

Given the expenses being paid for I'd have expected the disruption element for that sort of work pattern to have been factored in to your basic rate/wage.

What are you doing on the middle weekend when you're away? Travelling back, working or lounging around the hotel/apartment?

The middle weekend would be spent up there. Its at least an 8 hour drive each way so coming home for that middle weekend wouldn't be worth it.

[Muzzer79]

airsafari87 said:

Mr Pointy said:

Given the expenses being paid for I'd have expected the disruption element for that sort of work pattern to have been factored in to your basic rate/wage.

What are you doing on the middle weekend when you're away? Travelling back, working or lounging around the hotel/apartment?

The middle weekend would be spent up there. Its at least an 8 hour drive each way so coming home for that middle weekend wouldn't be worth it.

Can't you fly?

If it were me, I'd be flying up Monday morning and hiring a car (if needed) then flying back Friday afternoon?

[toon10]

With me it was factored into my salary. I was in charge of IT for the UK and Ireland so 9 sites from Aberdeen to Plymouth (extremes). I'm based in the North East. I had to travel to Hemel once a month to look after a team member. I didn't have any special allowance but as the role had more responsibility than my previous one, I took a 19% pay rise. Living off expenses also helped to cut my monthly costs meaning I ended up saving more.

I switched to a European role so mainly home based with one week a month travelling to somewhere in Europe where the projects are. I kept the same salary so no allowance or extra benefits but the pay is really good for up here and my bonus went up a couple of thousand too.

I suppose it's down to how you value what you do, how much similar roles with similar travel requirements are paying in the area and is your pay worth the extra inconvenience. It may be an extra allowance rate or just a better salary to compensate.

[deckster]

airsafari87 said:

There wasn't any.
The role was an office based role but this particular client of ours has a requirement for 1 person to work at their site alongside their own team.

Plenty of negatives and not too many positives with this situation to be fair.

If you have a significant other / family, I'd think very very carefully before doing this. Don't underestimate the impact this will have on your home life. Also kiss goodbye to any social life or friends back home. Working away can be great if you're young, free and single, and if you get to go lots of interesting places. Two years away from your family in a dusty industrial estate in Coventry...less so.

Career-wise, this can be both good and bad. Done wrong, you'll be out of the office and out of mind. You will be at the back of queue come review & promotion time. Working "alongside" a customer team generally speaking means that you are just another pair of hands and that doesn't give you too many opportunities to shine. Done right however, you can take an important posting for an important client and use it as an opportunity to further your career. But you would need to push that. Personally I'd be going down that angle rather than 'more money'..."if I do this, I'll be showing that I can run a significant account that brings X value to the company and I want that promotion to Senior Wrangler of Dooburys".

Either way, definitely go into it with your eyes open.

[Mr Pointy]

airsafari87 said:

The middle weekend would be spent up there. Its at least an 8 hour drive each way so coming home for that middle weekend wouldn't be worth it.

I think the question of additional payment might be influenced by a number of factors such as how much do you mind the disruption to your life for 1 or 2 years & how secure you are in your position if you decide not to go unless there is additional pay. Do you really want to spend a year doing that much driving, especially in the winter?

At the very least I'be pushing for a serviced apartment rather than a hotel room. There are some excellent points made in the posts above.

[Countdown]

toon10 said:

I suppose it's down to how you value what you do, how much similar roles with similar travel requirements are paying in the area and is your pay worth the extra inconvenience. It may be an extra allowance rate or just a better salary to compensate.

That's it, in a nutshell. There are no hard and fast rules about uplifts. That's because different people would want different rates. A single bloke in his early 20's might love the chance to travel all over the UK. A married dad of 5 less so. So they would require different levels of compensation


There are some industries or organisations where travel is a regular part of the job for lots of people and they have scale rates for allowances when staff are away from home. Those allowances cover expenses but also the botheration factor of travelling, being based in the arse end of nowhere, and being away from family. However for organisations where travel is more ad-hoc you would see it as built into the salary.

[Muzzer79]

deckster said:

airsafari87 said:

There wasn't any.
The role was an office based role but this particular client of ours has a requirement for 1 person to work at their site alongside their own team.

Plenty of negatives and not too many positives with this situation to be fair.

If you have a significant other / family, I'd think very very carefully before doing this. Don't underestimate the impact this will have on your home life. Also kiss goodbye to any social life or friends back home. Working away can be great if you're young, free and single, and if you get to go lots of interesting places. Two years away from your family in a dusty industrial estate in Coventry...less so.

Career-wise, this can be both good and bad. Done wrong, you'll be out of the office and out of mind. You will be at the back of queue come review & promotion time. Working "alongside" a customer team generally speaking means that you are just another pair of hands and that doesn't give you too many opportunities to shine. Done right however, you can take an important posting for an important client and use it as an opportunity to further your career. But you would need to push that. Personally I'd be going down that angle rather than 'more money'..."if I do this, I'll be showing that I can run a significant account that brings X value to the company and I want that promotion to Senior Wrangler of Dooburys".

Either way, definitely go into it with your eyes open.

Good post.

Family life - particularly if you do have to do that middle weekend away. You'll see your OH/Kids basically every other weekend and that's it.

Time cannot be bought. You could take a 100% pay rise and it still wouldn't be enough if you lose your family.

What are your motives for taking this role? Or is it being forced on you?

[Olivera]

Where are you travelling to that is an 8 hours drive from the north east, Inverness or Aberdeen? If so then you have the option of the train for both destinations, and also flights to the latter.

[airsafari87]

Muzzer79 said:

deckster said:

airsafari87 said:

There wasn't any.
The role was an office based role but this particular client of ours has a requirement for 1 person to work at their site alongside their own team.

Plenty of negatives and not too many positives with this situation to be fair.

If you have a significant other / family, I'd think very very carefully before doing this. Don't underestimate the impact this will have on your home life. Also kiss goodbye to any social life or friends back home. Working away can be great if you're young, free and single, and if you get to go lots of interesting places. Two years away from your family in a dusty industrial estate in Coventry...less so.

Career-wise, this can be both good and bad. Done wrong, you'll be out of the office and out of mind. You will be at the back of queue come review & promotion time. Working "alongside" a customer team generally speaking means that you are just another pair of hands and that doesn't give you too many opportunities to shine. Done right however, you can take an important posting for an important client and use it as an opportunity to further your career. But you would need to push that. Personally I'd be going down that angle rather than 'more money'..."if I do this, I'll be showing that I can run a significant account that brings X value to the company and I want that promotion to Senior Wrangler of Dooburys".

Either way, definitely go into it with your eyes open.

Good post.

Family life - particularly if you do have to do that middle weekend away. You'll see your OH/Kids basically every other weekend and that's it.

Time cannot be bought. You could take a 100% pay rise and it still wouldn't be enough if you lose your family.

What are your motives for taking this role? Or is it being forced on you?

As I mentioned earlier I used to work away a lot in a previous role with a different company. Approx 75% of my year was spent out of the country so I am already well aware of the positives and negatives that brings.
I actually left that role due to wanting to be at home for my son during his final years of school, that was more important to me than the financial benefits.
He is 18 now and starting his own life so that isnt as large a factor as it was.
My Mrs would prefer for me to not be away, but is fully supportive and understanding if I do end up having to go up there.

Where I would be going is pretty much in the middle of nowhere right on the edge of the North coast. Flying there isnt really a viable option either, it would likely take longer and involve multiple car and plane journeys.

Career wise, it would be a really good name to have in my CV, I already have some other good names on their already anyway so having this additional one isn't a huge thing for me, it would be nice to have rather than essential.

I also have no qualms about doing a good job for them either, as it happens I am currently finishing up another project that I have been working remotely on for them, which has been a 3 month project and I have built up good working relations with a small number of their team already, wether or not i would come in to contact with those same people on this other project I am unsure?

I have no motives for taking this on either. Its simply a case that the company I work for have been asked if we could potentially supply 1 person from here to work with their team. As I'm the most senior in the office and have worked on similar projects to this one, I have been asked if I would be interested and willing to go up there. From a work point of view I have no issue with it. The only sticking point for me is the compensation for being away from home for a large period of time. If no disruption allowance or whatever you want to call it is offered i would be earning the same money for being 8 hours away from home, away from my family in the middle of nowhere on my own, than I would be working 15 mins from my house and being in my own bed each night.

Like I said previously, I was spoiled with my previous company and I know that that isnt the norm and I 100% would not expect the same at this company. Hence asking what is a fair expectation.

[airsafari87]

Olivera said:

Where are you travelling to that is an 8 hours drive from the north east, Inverness or Aberdeen? If so then you have the option of the train for both destinations, and also flights to the latter.

Thurso

[Olivera]

airsafari87 said:

Thurso

That is very far!

Look forward to at least some travel disruption during the winter if you are expecting to drive there and back (snowfall). It's also going to be helluva bleak and lonely there during the short winter days.

[airsafari87]

Olivera said:

That is very far!

Look forward to at least some travel disruption during the winter if you are expecting to drive there and back (snowfall). It's also going to be helluva bleak and lonely there during the short winter days.

Hence this post!

To be fair, I have already stated that travel during the winter will be entirely weather dependent.

[PrinceRupert]

airsafari87 said:

Thurso

Thurso is pretty grim.

[SamR380]

If it helps, the last staff job I had paid 1.25 the hourly rate for working away (onshore uk), standard rate on travel time. This was three years ago in an oil & gas engineering company.

[airsafari87]

SamR380 said:

If it helps, the last staff job I had paid 1.25 the hourly rate for working away (onshore uk), standard rate on travel time. This was three years ago in an oil & gas engineering company.

Thanks.

I don't consider that to be particularly unreasonable request to make and would make being away from home a bit more acceptable.

[hyphen]

Mr Pointy said:

Given the expenses being paid for I'd have expected the disruption element for that sort of work pattern to have been factored in to your basic rate/wage.

This. The salary should reflect the job's demands.