to ask them to expense my travel?

[NairobiGal]

Starting work soon for a new company. Role is working from home. They need me to attend their head office for identity checks prior to starting. I've requested they pay my expenses as train travel is £86. It's over 120 miles away. They're stating they don't usually do this but will check. AIBU to have asked this? £86 is a lot for them to photocopy my passport...

It’s mandatory to do in person right to work checks now - the requirement was suspended during Covid but recently reinstated. You’re not unreasonable to ask but if they say no, you’ll have to go if you want to start the job. Can you to take the opportunity to meet colleagues?

It's just to meet HR and all my colleagues work from home. Any travel is usually expensed but they're saying that as I'm not an employee yet they are unlikely to expense it. I just don't have £86 spare. Annoying situation.

Was the requirement to travel for identity checks stated on the job application or in the interview, and was the location stated? If so, then yes YABU (although I would ask too).

Is your location of work on your contract your home? Or is it an office location.

If it’s an office location and the one they’re asking you to attend then YABU

if not then YANBU

At my company travel expenses to the office depend on if you just have permission to wfh full-time or if you have official remote worker status.

It's not unreasonable of you to ask, but at the moment all you can do is wait and see if they come back with a way they can handle this. It may be that your immediate contact hasn't come across the situation before, but their bosses, or HR if there is an HR department, may have more experience with it and some options. In my own experience, larger companies usually have a way to pay expenses for a non-employee, for example comping transportation/a hotel for someone who comes in long distance for an interview. Smaller companies might not. I'd think it should be possible, though, for you to pay up front and for them to reimburse based on your receipts once you're on the payroll, if that's possible for you.

If you literally don't have the money, is there any cheaper option like taking a coach instead of the train?

It's my home. They also stated on the job ad that any travel outside of your home whether it be fuel costs or train fares wound be expensed. They're saying the issue is that I'm not employed by them yet.

Then you’re clearly not being unreasonable

Definitely push back

If your office is at home and this is part of your contract then you claim expenses to other areas of the business. If you haven’t started working yet, they can’t demand anything of you.

Are there other locations for your business? I work in HR, we have locations all over the country, so we frequently ring a location to tell them that Bob Smith will be popping in with his passport, please can you do the Isla checks/sign off and forward a copy on to us to save to his main file