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?

I'd find the money for a cheap hotel rather than get up that early.

No I don't think that's unreadable at all as a one off. Have done similar myself for conferences.

DH regularly gets up at that time to travel long distances for work and gets no time off in lieu. I think you're making this into a fairness issue when you just don't want to get up early.

But if you stayed over the day before. You would have additional dog care costs, so it does save you some money.

My husband does it weekly, gets a very early train to London for a full day of meetings, often times running into evenings, then gets the last train home 2 or 3 days later. At your salary level it’s certainly not something you should be doing regularly but as a one off I think it’s a reasonable request, if they were to also put you up the night before you would have an extra days dog sitting to pay for so you would be financially worse off if that was an option

Exactly. And since it's only one day (hotel for the next two days) it's reasonable.

I used to have to catch a train this early, maybe once every 3 months when I lived up North but team meetings were held in London. I think it’s fine and didn’t think anything of it? Sometimes I would stay overnight with a friend who lives in London to make the most of the trip

This is normal in lots of industries

I do this a couple of times a year and find it fine. That doesn't mean everyone can do it though.

I do this three times a year OP - an early start and three hour train journey to head office - just for one day of meetings though and then a late train home. It's not in my contract but I don't mind as it's not a regular occurrence.

YABU. That's honestly fine. The only time I'd say it's acceptable to say you won't do it is if you have childcare issues you can't resolve, for example I'd be fine doing that as I have a spouse but if I were a single parent with no support and nursery didn't open until 8am it'd be impossible as not many paid babysitters will come that early for a few hours pay! Not to mention confusing/disruptive for DC.

But other than childcare, that's really a normal ask of them and it's good that they're putting you up in a hotel as they should. When I was doing some training for a voluntary job I had to be up at 4am one day per week for a few months to go down to London and then back again (the charity paid for my expenses).

I hate work travel in the mornings. I regularly fly to London on the red eye (7an flight check in at 630 up at 5) ick.

always fly back on the last flight that day too so it’s typically 930 by the time I get home. Long day.

If its more than one day they should offer accommodation for 2 nights at least.

Why don’t you completely refuse to go as you feel it’s too early. The. You can come back to mumsnet in a years time to ask “AIBU to be annoyed I haven’t had any career progression for refusing to attend a training course 300miles away?”

I'd say so if it's not a regular thing. I used to do something similar and get home at 9pm 1 day every week for 2 years when I was new to my job and training. My husband regular gets up and travels at this time as part of his job. I guess it would just depend what you're getting out of it, do enjoy your job, are you paid enough to recompense you for it etc?

So their expectations and demands have been increasing over the last few months. You're on £30k which seems does not seem proportional to your role.

Get your practical head on. Take all the training being given with a positive frame of mind. Update your CV. Start looking for your next move. There's more out there but you need to open your eyes and consider things with an open mind.

You’re being unreasonable. But I’m self employed and have to do all sorts of ridiculous things to make my job work.

if you’re not happy though just ask for an extra nights hotel and say you can’t go that early.

Can you fly instead? I did that when a little airline was doing the south Wales to London city route for a day’s course in London and it was fab, 2hrs from my home to London venue.

I flew at that time recently and had to be at the airport before that for security. And I flew back same day. It is what it is sometimes for work.

I used to get a 6:20am train every day to work. 😂Okay, well, not every day, but usually the 3 days a week I was in the office. I didn't get home til 8pm either. I think this is a perfectly normal expectation. Certainly much better than being asked to give up a whole extra 12 hours plus the cost of a hotel room (even if expensed). I'd much rather be at home.

For three full days I would expect paid accommodation for two nights. OK to do a red eye on the first day perhaps but not three days in a row, and getting home again in the evening would be horrendous each time.

Few people enjoy getting up early for work but I agree with PPs that it's not wildly unreasonable, especially as it's not a frequent request.

You said you usually commute for an hour to get to the local office, and I presume the hotel will be fairly close to the host office? So you can catch up on sleep in the hotel.

Although I should probably caveat this by saying I might be more willing than most to put up with it as a one-off, seeing as my commute is currently a 20 minute drive - double the 10 minutes door-to-door it was for a few years before that

If they are paying for accommodation then it's fine. At long as the hotel is decent anyway.

It's a strange one this. Why do people see others struggling to get up early as lazy, but not others going to bed early as lazy? This is a body clock thing, not a laziness thing

I have also refused trains this early as well. If they allow me to leave early then I'll (grudgingly) do it, but generally it's a full on day followed by another 3 hour train.

I don't really care that so and so does it all the time so it's fine. I don't. So therefore it's not something I'm used to and I find it very difficult to drag myself out of bed when needed.

And quite frankly, if the business can afford a peak time train ticket, they can afford a non-peak time ticket and an overnight stay for £90.