Having to pay for work team building day

[Notanawayday]

Name changed for this.

I work part time for the NHS band 3 with colleagues who are band 6/7 so obviously better paid.

Every year we have no choice but to go on an afternoons team building day. Patient diaries are blocked out so my colleagues can go and admin have to attend too.

Last year it was bowling, year before pottery painting so not too expensive.

We have raised before about the trust we work for paying for us to go as it is on work time and we have no choice but to attend. Last year a couple of colleagues couldn’t afford the bowling had to sit there and watch.

There is no way our trust will pay for this forced team building day so there is no point even raising it again.

I was on annual leave last week when it was decided by our clinicians team lead that we will all be getting the train then a tube to Canary Wharf where we will be going to some sort of quiz event involving completing puzzles. Entry fee is £25 and then have to pay for food and drinks and of course train and fare tube which we can’t claim back. Whole cost will be around£60 and we will be there longer than our work finish time.

Im so fed up. I don’t want to spend money to attend a work team building day. A lot of the clinicians I work with are looking forward to it because it means half a day of not having to see patients and of course they earn way more than us lowly admin.

I think I will have to say I can’t afford to attend and will stay at work and actually do my job. I know already how it will pan out, constantly being pressurised to attend, being told I will have a good time and how I have to go to be part of the team etc etc

I’ve worked in further education and the civil service and never had to pay to attend a work team building day and yet the NHS managers think this is ok?!!!

Absolutely. When we have done these. Costs have been kept low deliberately.

I go to work to earn money. Not spend them. I would prefer to work not doing random expensive activities around town. Tbh it wouldn't happen even I can afford it.

It might not help, you might prefer to flatly refuse, but are the grade pay bands public? If so, you could explain it like “for clinicians this costs 2 hours of wages but for admins it costs 2 days”, see if that brings the point home.

Maybe you could see if there’s some overtime going to help cover the costs?

what???? what???? work extra hours to pay for something I don't want to do???? fuck that

Makes no sense. Really. Work extra hours to cover something work related you don't enjoy. Eh. Bonkers.

Blimey. This is a hill I'd be prepared to die on. No way would I be paying for anything called 'mandatory training' during working hours that was actually a team-building jolly. If it is mandatory training, then the employer should be paying for it.

Email your manager, copying in their boss, HR and whoever is organising it, and ask why staff are being told that this mandatory team building thing is during work hours, but staff are obliged to pay for it out of their own pockets. Say out straight that you are on a much lower pay band than many of the other participants, and you simply cannot afford to pay. If they are insisting that you must attend the event anyway, then they will have to pay for it because otherwise, you will be unable to go. End of.

yes NHS pay bands are public but that doesn't cover being told to do something and pay for it. Additionally a colleague at work with me was on the4same payband as me but had MUCH less disposable income because of their home circumstances. Using the payband argument its too easy for someone else to say "well I am on the same payband as you and I can afford it"
Actually "affording it" is not something that needs to be discussed. It should be enough to just refuse to do it if you have to pay. Actually depending on the activity, its should be enough to just refuse to do it. I can neither swim not ride a bike and my back and bad knee would prevent bowling.

totally agree apart from the can't afford thing. I do get that some people have more disposable income than others but compulsory jollies in working hours just should not be happening.

I know....as i said upthread just when you think you can't possibly read anything sillier, you get proved wrong!

I think @ExpectMore is the manager.......

This is a good idea. Just say you can't afford it and offer to work instead. With luck enouigh people will do the same to give them the message. Is this shit idea dreamed up by HR/admin people or actual clinicians?

This definitely comes under Fuck That Shit.

I wouldn't care what my role was. I simply wouldn't pay but go to work as a normal day.

No should be more than enough.

Wow. Manager by any chance?

What's the issue? What's the issue?? No-one should be asked to pay for compulsory team building events during working hours and no-one should be forced to attend outside of working hours. How about that?

Your views are so remote from that of the typical workforce that I despair.

yes it does.

This is exactly the same in my local authority team, except we have to do it after work or lunchtime. It's billed as team bonding and we feel pressured to pay and attend. Same as our Christmas do. Given our salaries are pretty crap it infuriates me. I'm not saying the council tax payers should fund it, but my manager should stop pretending it's a great and fun thing for us to attend. Team building should be free, in work time and on work premises unless it's being funded by the employer, which I guess means private sector realistically.

I think she is that actual manager. I was a manager in the NHS and I think that this is a batshit concept

if you are "pressured" refuse. If you fell harassed then say so.

This is what we did when I worked in the NHS. We all brought a contribution of food for lunch and did service development and team building activities

When I became a contractor it was great because I never had to go to any team building days. Unless there is a very clear and agree objective/requirement people should not be having time blocked out like this. Imagine the knock on effect on patient care and all those working hours lost.

It’s a workplace, not a democracy.

It really isn't.

no employer has got the right to demand staff member pays for "team building days" and absolutely should appreciate that for many it just won't be affordable.

we do several team building events at work a year. All paid for by my employer. And not obligatory - if someone doesn't want to go, they can opt to work instead or take annual leave.

forcing employees to pay for these events in work time does the opposite of building a good team environment.

and clinic time shouldn't be cancelled for them.

And just to add @Notanawayday you absolutely should not have to pay anything towards what sounds like a complete waste of productive time anyway. They should be embarrassed to even ask. This just sounds like the appalling poor NHS management we are always hearing about.