To think we shouldn't have to work the day before Christmas Eve?

Care to elaborate?

You missed out 'be grateful to have a job.' 🙄

Ha, if I was working minimum wage in a shop I would not be carting myself half way across the country in my own time and on my expense on the whim of someone else.

How patronising.

Yes it’s not uncommon to have to attend company events but you are usually paid for your travel and told more than a few weeks in advance. You are also not usually expected to travel on a day when the roads will be at their busiest.

And just because lots of other people will be working Christmas Day etc it doesn’t mean the op should be thanking her employers for a couple of days off in the style of Bob Cratchit.
Lots of people work night shifts. I dare say if most people were suddenly told that their 9-5 job would now involve a 3am shift they wouldn’t be happy.

@blinddoorshyt welcome to the world of work. As part of your employment, you are expected to attend company events. They are paying you for the day, therefore they can ask you to do anything they see as necessary to fulfil that role. It's an end of year event, with a presentation on the years performance. They may be seeking to show you next year's business plan, what needs to happen with sales, changes for the new year. It is clear you normally don't travel, you are very fortunate, that doesn't mean that you should expect to never travel. They've also offered you compensation in time in the New Year.
If you don't want to go, take the days leave. Your attitude to your employer suggests that perhaps they may do better with someone more committed.
Maybe have a think that many people will work Christmas, many people will drive hundreds of miles not just on the 23rd, but also 😱 24th, 25th, 26th etc, many won't get to see their families, many don't get offered time off for this, or get paid for their travel or have a job.

It's quite normal to work Christmas Eve and obviously the day before is a normal working day. I wouldn't drive to Manchester though- if they want you to go then book the train and expense it, if the boss wants you there he'll agree. 6 hours of driving just before your Christmas break is not really acceptable- but you can't really refuse because it's an ordinary working day.

How do your colleagues feel about this? If everyone refused to go unless they shorten the working day and pay your travel expenses, the company would have to back down.

Tell your employer you've taken advice from ACAS and what they are proposing isn't legal.

I wouldn't want to work for this sort of joke shop and suggest you look for another job if possible.

Yes YABU

I can't understand how they'd be able to NOT pay you travel expenses and overtime and give you any additional time spent in lieu.

I've worked for Companies that expect you to be there on Christmas Eve - at least in the morning. This was fully paid and often they paid for you to have a taxi home to wherever you lived.

It strikes me that losing a day's pay for not attending would be cheaper than the cost of actually going!

I’m in New Zealand so different country but basically 23rd and 24th are normal work days and if we want them off (I do) we have to take annual leave. Also if my department was closed at any time over Xmas (a long time ago my community based team was not operating during Xmas or new year week) we had to take annual leave. A bit annoying to have to have a massive round trip to Manchester if you thought you were getting the day off (and not having to use your annual leave).

Unless things have changed bank holidays can either be part of your allowance or be on top of that.

Loads of people have to work Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day in much harder jobs. So I wouldn't be bothered at all at having to work the day
'before' xmas eve.

Pull a sicky. Do the day before as well to make it more believeable.

I'd just take the day off unpaid. If they're not paying travel anyway then it's probably less to lose a days pay than to work/drive an extra six hours for free and have to pay the petrol.

I'd suggest they put on a minibus for everyone and if they didn't I'd just take it unpaid

What is the point of this? It's not 'fun' for starters so no 'fun' on the 'fun-day' will be had, and I should think it would decrease motivation, not increase it.

It's not like working in the NHS on one of these days which would have value, or as you say, even opening the shop and serving customers.

It's pointless and really just a power play by the owner- you all have to come here at an inconvenient time to do something rubbish because I say so, even though the sensible thing would be to give those employees a one day extra break.

I hate companies and managers like this and they don't tend to be good at retaining staff either, except in recessions where everyone hates them but has to jump.

Honestly, I'd be 'ill' on that day anyway, I would self-certify with flu, Covid or a winter virus that prevents you getting on the train. Everyone will have forgotten by January.

That isn't the point. She was told the last day was the 22nd, that has now been changed to a 6hr round trip on the 23rd at the op's expense. Totally unreasonable.

Some of us have to work all of Christmas so suck it up and stop whinging .

You’re annoyed you aren’t getting a free day of annual leave?

Have you posted before about having to travel around regions for company updates and presentations? If so, it seems that attending these updates with a meal/Christmas fun tacked on is part and parcel of the job.

That’s hardly unusual in lots of lines of work. I do think they should pay your travel costs. And I also think that unless they rotate it so that for some updates you don’t travel (because it’s in your region) they should pay overtime.

I had to work on Xmas eve and if we were lucky we could go home around 3.30 instead of 5.30, it was just just a normal working day for us and if you didn’t like it you could book a day off. Book the day off or suck it up

expecting you to drive 3 hours to get there for 9 and drive 3 hours back on the same day is unreasonable and frankly dangerous.
also the day before Christmas eve traffic getting out of Manchester will be an absolute shit show. I have to travel for work but wouldn’t be expected to do that type of journey there and back in a day. Probably would get a hotel the night before although that’s quite unreasonable so close to Christmas for something non critical.

The biggest meal over Christmas the French traditionally eat is on Christmas Eve. The shopping malls where I live are open till about 6pm Christmas Eve, poor shop assistants, there is no bank holiday on the 26 (Boxing Day). Only one day off, Christmas Day, and they work all the Sundays in December.

We worked in retail, and at Christmas had Christmas day and Ny day off. Didn't mind as we made all oir profit for the year in December. However, I used to get really peed off with customers wingeing that they only got 2 weeks off, and all they were going to do, so I have no sympathy whatsoever.

YANBU. It's not the same as a day at work, because it's fucking pointless and the drive sounds miserable. I'd be annoyed too, and I say that as someone who is working that day and Christmas Eve.

YABVU