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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to expect to be paid travelling time?

53 replies

Sammysees · 23/09/2018 21:49

I work part time and am paid hourly. I have to go to a meeting next week that is approx 3 hours away from where I work. Am AIBU to expect to be paid for the 6 hours travelling time?

OP posts:
Original poster
Sammysees · 23/09/2018 22:43

It does seem excessive to charge for 9 hours chocatoo but as fabricwitch states - it’s a long day for 3 hours pay. I’m not choosing to go to this meeting and tbh I’d rather not go. I don’t feel like I can say no though. I’ll bite the bullet and ask tomorrow what hours to claim for it and put the ball in their court.

OP posts:
MrsStrowman · 23/09/2018 22:49

Should be the nine hours minus your usual commute time (as you don't usually get paid for that) whether you get it paid as overtime or TOIL will depend on your company policy

BackforGood · 23/09/2018 22:52

It does seem excessive to charge for 9 hours

It would seem unreasonable for an employee to give 9 hours to work, on her day off, for a total of around £24, to me.

Happygummibear · 23/09/2018 23:00

As people above said.

Your work day starts from when you get to the office and stops when you come back from meeting.

If you are being collected from your home then you should take off the tine it would normally take you to commute to your work place and claim the rest.

I attend a quarterly meeting which is about 2 hours from my home. My day starts 15 mins into my journey (length of time it normally takes me to get to work) and finishes 15 mins before i get home. Therefore on average 3 hours 30mins is spent travelling but i am traveling for work purposes and it's not a regular thing that is written into my contract. If there is traffic that adds time on as well. So sometimes I do more hours than my normal day which I get back as flex. I don't feel bad about this. But our days are written down to basically the minute.

I would suggest you ask to switch your normal day so 6 hours is what they would normally expect to pay anyway and then claim for an additional 3 hours... or extra if you get stuck. That way it's not costing the business an additonal day of pay only a few hours and you are not losing out spending your own time travelling for work purposes.

If it's a decent place they should be ok with this.

wrenika · 23/09/2018 23:02

Depends on your contract. My colleagues regularly go to meetings on site which is in the region of 3 hours away (so 6 hour round trip) and the travel time is not counted as 'working' time because of the particular contract we have with the client so has to be made up elsewhere. It's a nuisance and it makes for a very long day because it means leaving very early to be there for the start of meetings and not getting home till near bed time.

Polarbearflavour · 23/09/2018 23:29

I left my last job (temping) as I was expected to travel a 3 hour round trip, once a week, for no extra money or TOIL.

£11.47 an hour was simply not worth it and I hated the director I worked for too.

Amaaboutthis · 23/09/2018 23:32

You should get TOIL for however many hours you’re working. If you’re travelling with your boss then you’re working the whole time

NoLeslie · 23/09/2018 23:33

You should definitely be paid for the full 9 hours. Shit if I was spending 6 hours in a car with my boss I'd want paying!!!!
Spend your travel time talking about work/reading work related stuff though, ie not flicking through the papers or playing candy crush.

Userplusnumbers · 23/09/2018 23:36

All these people saying it seems excessive to claim the whole day! WTF?!

OP - you're doing them a favour by giving up 9 hours of your time on a day off to attend a meeting. They should pay you.

Original poster
Sammysees · 24/09/2018 06:06

Thanks guys. I will talk to my boss this morning. I think as suggested by a few of you I will swap my work day and claim the other 3 hours.

OP posts:
Whereismumhiding2 · 24/09/2018 06:24

I work PT and yes I'd claim all 9 hours back in TOIL It's not your usual office, travelling in those circumstances is part of your working day.

Laloup1 · 24/09/2018 06:51

Don’t just ‘ask’. Make a proposition. Would you prefer m

Laloup1 · 24/09/2018 06:52

... me to bill the hours or take time off in lieu?
It’s a stronger position to discuss from while not seeming grabby /unreasonable.

Rebecca36 · 24/09/2018 06:56

I think travel expenses should be paid.

toptomatoes · 24/09/2018 07:00

I work part time. If I have to go to a meeting on my day off, I usually swap my working day. We can claim travel time above usual up to a certain point (I think a couple of hrs each way).

OliviaStabler · 24/09/2018 07:01

I've never been paid for travelling time but could take the time back in lieu.

ResistanceIsNecessary · 24/09/2018 07:26

Absolutely you should be paid for it.

If you earn by the hour then work-related travelling time which is not your normal commute, should be paid. Especially if you are part time and it goes beyond the hours you would normally work.

I have team members in a similar position to you and I give them the option of being paid or claiming time in lieu - whatever suits them best.

ResistanceIsNecessary · 24/09/2018 07:28

Oh and agree with Laloup - don't ask permission! I'd raise it along the lines of "How would you like me to sort this - do you want me to put an overtime claim in for the additional hours, or take the time back in lieu?"

BookMeOnTheSudExpress · 24/09/2018 07:36

You should be paid for it in some way, sure. The fact that they haven't mentioned how that will happen might mean they don't intend to, or have never come across anyone querying it before. I would ask, but be prepared to not get much in response, especially if you're the first person to be querying it. How was it actually presented to you? (this meeting)

Contracts will usually specify how these "extra" commitments are dealt with. (I work hourly and a couple of times a year have to travel, on a working day, out of town- I am given my train fare and paid for the hours I would normally work, not the hours of the actual day, which are usually more than a normal working day- that was stipulated in my contract though)

grumiosmum · 24/09/2018 07:36

Unless you are in a senior position where long and variable hours are the norm (and it sounds as though you aren't) then you should definitely expect either overtime to include the travel time or time off in lieu.

If it is a large company then they should already have a policy in place for this - ask your boss or HR. If it's a small business, you just need to raise the issue with your boss (in a non-confrontational way).

I am freelance and travel sometimes for work. I always charge my clients for travel time, although never more than one day (e.g. if my day starts at 7 and ends at 6.30, due to having to catch flights or drive a long distance, I would only charge for 7.5 hours).

Cronesquerness · 24/09/2018 07:37

I am paid hourly and have never been paid for my travelling time, sadly this seems to be the norm, we are taken advantage of and our time is abused for shit money while some fat bloke sips Moet on a yacht.

Inertia · 24/09/2018 07:46

I’d email either your line manager or HR and ask how they want you to claim the time. If you put it across that you will be working (including travel time over and above your commute- I would meet boss at office and come back via office to make the timings unarguable) an extra 9 hours on your day off, and you want to confirm how you should claim the time, then you have it in writing.

You could propose a number of reasonable suggestions - swap your days, TOIL, paid as overtime, or a combination of the three - to make it clear that you’ve been as accommodating as possible.

Howtodeal · 24/09/2018 07:51

I wouldn't be paid under those circumstances but that's the norm in my industry and I'm on a fairly decent salary. Not unusual to leave the house at 6am to travel and not get back til 9/10pm, so pretty much double my working hours, but it's just seen as part of the job. I'm not entitled to over time and if they gave TOIL no-one would be at work half the time!

PeonyTruffle · 24/09/2018 07:51

You should be paid for the hours, especially as it's your day off.

It's not your fault the meeting is 3 hours away on your day off and they want you to go.

Anyone that would do that for no pay or no TOIL is mad!

unexpectedtwist · 24/09/2018 07:57

They should pay you travel time less your usual commute time if you are going door to door e.g if your normal commute is 1 hour then they should pay you the extra 4.