To want to suggest this?

[travelingtortoise]

I work for a small company. We're lucky enough to be an organisation where everyone genuinely gets on and loves each other's company, we're fully remote, and pre-pandemic got together once a year (on company money) to hang out for a weekend.

Since the pandemic the business has been struggling financially a little, so we haven't seen each other in a long time. New team members have joined who we adore, but who we've never met in person.

I run a small section of the team who are mostly contractors working with us on an ongoing basis. We've got a particular shared interest due to our role in the business, and are very close.

I live in a 'holiday' part of the world, and in the last couple of months a few team members have come out to visit for a weekend, at their own cost, just for fun. And it's got me thinking...

The company definitely can't pay for a team retreat, but I'd so love to invite at least MY team to come, rent a place together (my house is nowhere near big enough) and spend a few days hanging out. It couldn't be paid for by the company, but some team members have done it anyway, so the idea keeps hanging in my head.

And yet... I'd hate for a few people to be able to make it and others not (particularly for childcare / financial reasons), and so I'm not even raising the thought.

Would it be unprofessional / insensitive for me to mention it as a possibility?

My instinct is to float the idea and see what comes back, but I'm nervous to make anyone feel pressured or left out.

WIBU to raise it as an idea? Or best to wait until the whole company can pay for something like this?

You could suggest it, but be prepared for lots of mixed answers.
For me personally it would be a huge no, but then I'm a grumpy old bugger 😎

Honestly it's not unreasonable to raise it as an idea - but I'd be wary of raising it to wide audience.

As much as I like my colleagues and work, I wouldn't be paying ££ out of my personal salary to go on a company trip at all.

It's potentially a bit exclusionary to invite only your team, and also have only the ones who can afford to / have childcare sorted attend?

@Iwrotethissong I don't think we have many grumpy old buggers on our team – but I hear you!

Simply thinking of it as an invitation, not a demand 😁

And @bibbityboppityboo I'm not even really thinking of it as a 'company trip' - we get on so well it's more of a 'we're friends who also happen to work together' situation. But the work element does complicate things – hence the question!