Remuneration

Remuneration is typically in the form of money paid for work completed. It is how the world works, I do some work for you and you pay me for it.

'Some examples of remuneration are:

• salaries and wages
• gratuities paid through an employer
• bonuses, commission and other similar payments
• vacation pay, taxable allowances and benefits
• directors' fees
• payments for casual labour
• amounts paid by an employer to 'top up' benefits, and
• advances of salaries and wages.'

However it is not always as simple as that and there are many variations along the way that can effect whether or not you are paid and how much you are paid.

Firstly, there should be an agreement or contract between the two parties for exactly what needs to be done and how much it is worth. You should then document what has been completed and alert the client of any variations that happen along the way that may alter the original arrangement.

These could be, in the architectural world for example, drastic changes imposed by council or the client that require the amending of plans and as such extra work which can lead to a variation in payment. If these things are not discussed and left until the end, disputes can and do arise.

Remuneration though is not always in the form of money, it may be a contra deal or in the context of university work a grade or result that allows you to proceed to the next level of study.

In our collaboration work where the remuneration is not payment but grading, it is important that all members feel there input is rewarded accordingly and is not dragged down by others.
The allocation of work done earlier in the semester would qualify as a variation as mentioned earlier, as certain unknown elements now require more work than thought and as such we all need to chip in to other areas to complete the task to ultimately get our remuneration.


References:
http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/english/taxes/eht/faq_remuneration.html viewed tue may 20th 2008