Career Path > Money Matters
Per Diem & Travel Pay
Already Gone:
This happens sometimes, but it ususlly isn't the staffing company who makes the policy. The client normally establishes travel reimbursement policy. Some pay full travel at the current IRS rate. Some cap the amount at $400.00 or so, and some pay a flat rate that is usually really low, like $250.00. Some pay travel in and not out. Some will only pay travel to/from you address of record regardless of where you actually are. (this can be good if you go from one job to the next, and they pay you both ways from home.) Some will not pay your travel out if you quit early.
The thing is this - travel pay is normally a really tiny portion of the overall money picture. If you travel far, the mileage may not cover all your travel expenses, like lodging and meals, unless you take an economy car and they pay for all the miles.
The real reason they are ransoming your travel money is that lots of people take off before they are let go, leaving them short-handed. If they didn't make the travel pay and bonuses contingent on your staying, they wouldn't have any carrot at the end of the stick.
The law doesn't require the company to pay your travel expenses. They pay it as an incentive for people to travel to their job. If your next job is so close to that one that you can't afford to stay the for weeks, then you can pass this job or forfeit the travel pay. These days, most of us look at an extra week's work as a bonus.
My philosophy may be a little twisted but it goes something like this: If you can't afford to travel to a job, you can't afford to pass up the job either.
What the heck. If you are like most of us, you'll pocket that much in per diem the first week anyway. We love to live cheap.
Where is the job? Is it your first?
Atomic_Punk:
Well said Mr. Beer Court. It's amazing how many seasoned techs still don't know how this system works. The same can be said about bonuses. It's almost always the utillity that lays down the rules and stipulations. Most of the time it means, 'You leave early, you no get!"
So next time you get' boned ' on travel or a bonus, most likely you can blame the utillity, or yourself if you knew the rules upfront and didn't hold up your end of the deal.
ramdog_1:
wake up and ask for a better deal ! I go no where unless I get travel in and out milage, plus diem and as will I get my base pay for 8 hours a day. in and out.
ahh alara is not that bad .
RAD-GHOST:
Why work under their stipulations? Tell them what you want, tell them to put it in writing and if they refuse, tell them to call someone else! There is only about a million jobs out, not quite that many techs!
PS:
The customers that make those stipulations, are usually extremely hard-up for people, due to a really lousy work environment! Three weeks may very well be an eternity!
ramdog_1:
good call rad ghost Karma to you
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