In academia and healthcare, inviting external experts to speak or facilitate sessions is a common practice. These engagements add richness, new perspectives, and practical value to learning.
But it is worth reflecting:
Do our systems of honoraria and reimbursements really acknowledge the different situations of invited faculty?
Sharing an Experience
Not long ago, I was invited by a reputed institution to deliver a talk and facilitate a group activity. There was no honorarium given to speakers. Happens off and on. I accept that in the spirit of sharing.
But when it came to travel reimbursement, things became unexpectedly complicated. Since I had driven down in my car, and I was told I would be reimbursed for my travel, I shared details of the distance and fuel costs — something several government bodies routinely accept and pay accordingly.
I was later told that the institution’s accounting processes allowed reimbursement only if we submitted a cab or hired-car bill. Despite my attempts to clarify, it appeared that their processes would not permit this.
The event organizers (usually academicians or researchers) are often unaware of such issues and themselves do not know how to handle such a situation. We discussed it together and finally one of the organizers found a way out by getting a bill from a cab driver. Not really the best solution, but it got resolved.
I stress – this is not to complain about anything. I wish to suggest that such issues need to be resolved soon..
A Larger Reflection
There is a related issue. Most invited speakers are employed in healthcare or academic organizations. They draw regular salaries.
When honoraria are offered, they are usually modest and calculated on an hourly basis. This is understandable — while an honorarium is a respectful gesture, very large amounts could, in rare cases, create a conflict of interest.
The honorarium may encourage some to give more time to external speaking than to their core responsibilities.
Such situations may be uncommon, but it makes sense that systems are designed with this in mind.
For professionals like me, however, the situation is different. I run a not-for-profit Trust whose mission is to share expertise in the larger interest of healthcare. For us, every working hour that does not generate some income makes it harder to sustain what we do.
For all these reasons, honoraria (even a modest one) and flexible reimbursement processes matter. And they need to be paid quickly. Or else time and energy gets wasted on follow ups. These are not about personal gain, but about sustaining the ability to continue serving.
What Institutions Can Do
Institutions need to work at:
- Recognizing that “an hour of speaking” often represents days of preparation and years of experience
- Offering an honorarium as a token of respect, and also being mindful of the speaker’s context, plan to offer amounts that help the speaker’s organization sustain.
- Having clear, practical reimbursement policies that allow for personal travel claims, not only for hired-vehicle bills.
When we invite external experts, let’s ensure our systems reflect the respect we truly feel for them. Small steps here go a long way in creating goodwill, fairness, and sustainable collaborations.
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