If it is not in your basic salary, do not trust it.

They need you but do not want to pay you what you are worth. They want to give you piecemeal, if at all. They will make promises to lure you into taking on the responsibilities. They will never honor these promises, even if made by the board's chairperson of your workplace.

You will chase your rights with time but find nothing but a mirage. If the same people are around, they will give you countless excuses for reneging on their promises: budgets, costs, paying more will disrupt your peers, etc. If those who promised you left, blame no one but yourself; your naivete only for your rights is gone from the moment you agreed.  

Have you heard of Murphy’s law, which says that "anything that can go wrong will go wrong"? Well, in rewards and compensation in workplaces, anything discretionary and variable will stop and change one day if it is not in your salary (the basic salary). Bonuses can be significantly decreased if not stopped at all. Allowances, such as for housing, education, or transportation,  could be altered and stopped. Indemnity can be manipulated and changed. Health insurance can be limited in scope and coverage and percentage of contribution.

The focus should always be on the basic salary. If you are already employed, do not change jobs or accept additional responsibility if you are uncomfortable with the basic salary. Look at all other additional benefits as extra good to have. Do not accept jobs and duties with a total annual compensation mindset—it's wrong. You are leaving money at the table and exposing yourself to the risk of "workplace discretion."

In your negotiation, focus on the basic salary (monthly) first and be super comfortable with what you ask for. Once you get it, move on to negotiating the rest.

Do trust promises. Decision-makers change: They change jobs, and they change in hearts, alliances, and interests.

The worst part is not even you chasing them to remind them of their promises; the worst part is that they will hate and despise you for reminding them and asking for your rights. To them, you are asking for more, not your rights, which they promised to give piecemeal in the first place.

So why the hustle? Adopt this philosophy: no trust. They must pay your worth into the basic salary if they need you.

Also, do not be delusional and fixated on “making their promises official on paper.” Promises are promises. If they do not honor their verbal promises, they will not honor their promises if they are written; they can be rescinded through legal manipulation.