I have a part time job editing documents and doing clerical work for a local organization (this is in addition to my full time job). For this part time job I work from home completely, except for when I meet up with my boss once per month or so to pick up and drop off my work. We communicate solely through email.
For some tasks I am paid hourly, and for some tasks I am paid per completion of task. For example, I am paid $50 for editing folders, and I can usually complete 2-3 folders per hour so it is greatly in my favor to be paid per folder and not hourly. Last week I took a personal day from my full-time job and spent one day with my part-time boss (she requested that I be present at a workshop she was hosting), and in that time I edited 29 folders. I asked if that work would count as hourly or per folder, and she said that day should be hourly even though all I did was edit folders (I'm kicking myself for not clarifying this then).
When I signed a contract for this job in November, it specified that my clerical work is $15/hour, but my rate per folder is $50. The clerical work is completely separate tasks (scanning, shredding, etc) so there is no gray area between what constitutes clerical vs. editing folders. I don't think she's trying to cheat me when she told me last week that one day was meant to be hourly, but now I wish I had never asked and that I just submitted an invoice at my per folder rate since the difference is well over $1000.
Anyway, how does this email sound? I am stupidly nervous about discussing pay, but this woman and I have a great relationship so I don't anticipate any issues here.
Hi BossLady's Name,
I have a question about how I should be recording my work on my April invoice.
On my contract that we signed in November, it specifies my rate is $50 per folder completed, and $15 hourly for clerical work. When I spent the day at [location] last week editing folders, you said I should record that day as hourly.
Should I record April 9 as hourly, and then record the additional folders I am completing at home at the $50 per folder rate?
Please advise how I should record this work, as I have been keeping track of my count of completed folders as well as my hours worked but am not sure how to log everything on my invoice,
Does she know you edited 29 folders while you were at the workshop? When you bill for folders, do you have to say what day you did them? Is there anything stopping you from billing 8 hours (or however long that day was) at $15/hr for attending the workshop, and then an additional $1450 (29 x 50) for the 29 folders you did that day? Because, if you hadn't done any folders at the workshop, and had done all 29 folders at home some other time, that's how you would have billed it.
Thanks. I get really nervous discussing pay, and wanted to make sure my email was tactful.
She may not be aware I did 29 folders, but there's a checklist that I sign off on, then someone else reviews my edits after me so it's totally trackable that I did 29 that day. I don't think I should "double dip" and bill for hours and folders at the same time, but you're exactly right in pointing out that if I had done those 29 at home it would be at the much higher rate. That's why I want to clarify this. I don't want to seem like I'm fishing for more money, but when she said that day was hourly it didn't make sense to me and I really should have clarified this then. The only reason I went in person that day was to meet the people who work on the folders before me, so I could ask them questions in person as they came up. Once I spent the day there and got the hang of it I took the unfinished ones home to finish on my own.
MM, take this as a lesson to self advocate! I hope I didn't screw myself out of a lot of money here by asking how this should be billed, when I think I really should have just submitted this all as per booklet and never mentioned the hourly rate.
Post by peachdragon on Apr 17, 2015 9:25:40 GMT -5
This sentence concerns me ("Should I record April 9 as hourly, and then record the additional folders I am completing at home at the $50 per folder rate?") because it sounds like you wouldn't be counting those 29 folders. I wouldn't even bring up the option that is worse for you. It's like giving a toddler two choices that are both pleasing to you.
Did you end up attending the workshop she wanted you to attend? If so, how did you complete the folders?
Honestly, if I am the boss here, this email would make me reconsider your contract. I would assume she thinks the folders take you longer than 20-30 minutes each since she is paying you so much more than your hourly rate for them. I know that isn't the consensus but I think you should consider it before bringing this up to the boss.
Honestly, if I am the boss here, this email would make me reconsider your contract. I would assume she thinks the folders take you longer than 20-30 minutes each since she is paying you so much more than your hourly rate for them. I know that isn't the consensus but I think you should consider it before bringing this up to the boss.
I was thinking the same thing. I'd be worried that the fact that you are so efficient with the folders could backfire on you, and you'd end up losing out in the long run.
Thank you all for the feedback. I did end up sending the email last night how it appeared in my first post, but I wish I had seen RockNVoll's revision or else I would have used that! I agree that my email is too passive, but I was (stupidly) worried about being too aggressive. I am so awkward when it comes to negotiating and discussing pay since I have had little to no real experience with this.
peachdragon, my purpose for being at the workshop was to edit folders while colleagues from across the state were there reviewing them. They met in groups and marked up paper copies of the documents, and made suggestions about the content of the documents. I was in the back of the room doing the text editing in the actual Word documents on my laptop. There were about 200 folders total, and I edited 29 as they came in that day. There were two other editors working with me (doing separate folders), and then I brought home all of the ones we didn't get to.
BossLady responded today, and said I should bill at $30/hour for the day I went to the workshop, and not charge per booklet for that day. She is also raising my normal clerical work to $20/hour since I have been such an efficient worker (woohoo!). However, she now sees how quickly I am able to edit the folders at this point in their production, and she thinks that they "may be priced inappropriately" and she suggested 2 folders for $50. She asked me to "exercise some judgment" in considering this new rate, and this is up for discussion if I am not comfortable with this.
In my heart, I agree with her. I know this should be a business decision and not an emotional one, but this is a non-profit organization, everyone has been very kind to me, a lot of the people in the organization have reached out to me to offer me side projects, and general professional guidance, and having these people in my professional network can also benefit my full-time career position. I'm not looking to take advantage of them, as much as it pains me to lose out on $50 per folder. I responded to her email and told her I would accept the new rates, but I am kicking myself like auggie said, that my efficiency backfired on me here!