Aibu 6.20am train for a meeting

[Chantholtmouse]

Is it unreasonable of my workplace to expect me to get a 6.20am train to attend work meetings and training 300 miles away? I absolutely don't mind attending but a 6.20am train seems unreasonable. It's the only one that would get me there in time. I'd have to be up at 4.45am to quickly shower, dress, walk the dog around the block (I also have to find someone to pick him up) and drive to the train station which isn't that close.

It's then 3 full days of meetings and training which I'll be shattered for. I'll get a bit of time back but it still seems a big ask. There's no option for paid accomodation to stay the night before.

Aibu?

So peak train fare on the first morning

Price up train fare the night before and a cheaper hotel for the first night.

Used to be cheaper to send me a night early and I'd book a cheap b&b, that go up for a 9.30 start

Had to do similar journeys through work but would return on same day. A few days I had to arrange childcare from 5.30am to school drop off and from 3pm until 9pm which cost hundreds as certain hours classed as out of hours. This was not claimable.
I slept on both train journeys as I didn't get TOIL for the journeys.

It's tiring but not awful.
Hope it goes OK for you.

another one here - I leave the house at 6am for my clinical role. I’ve been on many training days where I’ve had to leave that early, rearrange childcare etc. My boss had to be in the office for a one off 6.30 start the other day.

I have never heard of this?

I think as a one-off there is no problem with this, this is your problem not their problem.
I would go as far to say that if made you catch this train once a month it would still be reasonable.
Plenty of people catch these trains, which is one of the reasons that exist.

Can you not refuse to go?

I’m a single parent and there’s no way I could go.

You’ve worded your thread completely wrong.

You’ve made it about the time you need to get a train but it sounds like you’re more annoyed about having to go at all, which is completely fair enough.

I wouldnt go, but my company wouldn't expect me to do a 4./4.30am wake up and would allow a hotel the night before.

I can't answer for the OP but going to bed early the night before wouldn't work for me. If I went to bed 2 hours earlier to allow for getting up 2 hours earlier, I would absolutely lose sleep because I wouldn't be able to fall asleep at 9pm. I'd spend at least an hour and a half just lying awake in bed with my eyes closed, because it's too much earlier than my normal bedtime and I'm not at all tired.

There are train strikes, and also overtime bans. Then there seem more issues with late trains early in the morning. So in your shoes OP I would say to them that given those factors you could not be sure the train would run or be on time, so going the previous day and the company providing overnight accommodation ensures you are there at the beginning.

Never good for a training course if someone is late, even if genuinely beyond their control.

If it's a one-off, then I wouldn't mind. Yes, it's early, but judging by the A-road in view of my upstairs windows, a lot of people start their commute at that sort of time.
I've been on the road by 6:45 every morning this past week, to pick up a manager staying over in a hotel, so he could get in for 7:45.

If it was to be a more regular thing, then they either offer a hotel room, or you look for more suitable work.

I set off for a 45 minute commute at a similar time for many years. The difference was it wasn't a 300 mile commute, several late nights too and then a 10pm return.

Sounds like a standard conference to me. Pain in the arse, tiring but part of the job and not a weekly occurrence. Swings and roundabouts with any job.

Husband and I used to do this every day. A one off is fine 🤷‍♀️

Yabu.on earlies I'd get up at 0400hrs to give my dog a good hour off lead exercise before work because that was my responsibility as a dog owner and I had a duty to be at work on time to get all my equipment on before work for 0630hrs.
I don't understand why you don't like it.

Annually I'm expected to be at training for 9am maybe 1.5 hour bus ride away but much less if you drive and my employers pay for a taxi for me there and back.

I wouldn't be happy with that op. Especially if it's not in your contract.

I'm interested to know what jobs people do who keep saying they wouldn't do it and to demand x y z
In a professional setting it's very normal to be expected to do things like training courses not where you are based and to get trains at 6am

Sounds like they talk for public sector hence the talk of union etc and inflexibility

Just drive? Or pay fir your own room the night before.

@anonymousxoxo you could be right, living the dream with their flexi time and huge pensions. Cushty

Loads of.people saying it's reasonable to expect you to travel 300 miles round trip every day but I totally disagree. At the very least you should be getting some kind of subsistence rate as it's so far away from your normal place of work. Normal place of work being the operative phrase here. Yes, other people do get up this early for work, but it's a normal thing for them. This is out of the ordinary. I'm guessing you'd be getting home really late too, with not much time to eat and sleep in between. They should either get you a hotel or give you a subsistence allowance to reimburse you for all that travel.

I used to do this regularly to get to Durham by 10.30. Then I’d stay the night and travel home after work the following day getting home about 10.30pm. It was 2 long days but I accrued about 8 hours so got a lieu day back and a night in a nice hotel with dinner, big breakfast etc it was great!

I get the train at that time twice a week for work. It's not a big deal as long as you're organised and get everything ready the night before. 4.45am sounds excessively early unless it takes you an hour to get to the station.

300 miles isn't that far. I'd probably drive. Up to you if you want to go on the train.

Is the only reason you don't want to get up, because you just don't fancy it? My DCs get up at 4am for a sport club twice a week and they are 12 and 11! I find it weird when people can't get up at 6am once or twice a year!

Are you under 30? Something about that generation which saddens me.. (disclaimer - there are some awesome under 30s too! But I've met a lot of lazy ones recently, and entitled ones!!)

I’ve had to fly down to London from Scotland to have a meeting to fly back home the same day. Plenty of people have to do this. But I would get a late start the next day. If your not happy speak to them you might get over night accommodation and you can go the night before

It is fine to disagree with my feelings on this but it's not fine to be so unpleasant. You wouldn't say this to someone's face so it's not fine to say it online.