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?

This is what would happen in my world. I'd do the travelling & long days , but absolutely expect Friday off in return.

The comment was directly in response to the suggestion that having to get up early to do this journey is worse than having to get up at the same time to go into work as, for instance, doctors do, so it was directly relevant to the point being made.

I'm afraid it simply isn't true that most employers would pay for a night's stay before an event like this if the reality is that employees can get there in time for the start of the event without staying overnight - as indeed many posts on this thread demonstrate. Yes, OP has to get up early, but she then sits on a train for three hours and can presumably have a doze then. I've had to do this more than once, it doesn't mean that you arrive knackered and unable to take part in the event.

Hmm I have to get the 540 or 6am train every day for the next year and 62h week next week (as operating theatres start at 730 and need to have seen the patient before then and having to commute Surrey to London). So I'd take that

As a one off, no not unreasonable.

if this is a regular trip (say once a month or more) then see if the start time can be pushed back a bit to make it easier.

For context I currently get a train at that time once a week. I’ve previously driven to work at that time 5 days a week.

Can a friend/child/local teen/neighbour walk the dog in the morning to ease your start time a little?

Living at the West coast of Scotland I often leave for work trips with the 5.20 am West Highlands line train to Glasgow, which means I leave the house at about 5 am to walk to the station. It has never bothered me, but I'm also usually completely thrilled to see my colleagues and I'm an extreme lark.

It's highly likely that there is a requirement under her contract to attend meetings and training on different sites, so she has chosen a job that requires it. The fact that you choose to have a dog can't exempt you from contractual requirements.

This wouldn’t happen in many private sector jobs. You’d get a bit of slack maybe to duck out early on Friday perhaps, but no TOIL to match hour for hour what you’ve travelled extra.

What is your evidence for saying "Yes, having a dog is a choice. It's a choice the OP made based on her being contracted to work in an office near her home that she returns to every evening"? It's incredibly likely that her contract includes a requirement or her to attend events of this nature.

Good luck with that challenge. If, as is highly likely, this is a contractual requirement, an employee who refused to go would certainly earn a disciplinary, up to and including sacking, and would be laughed out of the tribunal if they attempted to claim for it.

I am quite often sent to London on training or to meetings (by that I mean probably once a month/6 weeks). They always start at 10am which means a VERY early train from Newcastle and we live a 30 minute drive into Newcastle so I ended up leaving the house about 4.00am. I got up at 3am.

I was so fed up I said it was unreasonable and I wasn't prepared to do it. I now go the afternoon before and stay overnight in a hotel in Westminster. I meet my cousin for dinner and drinks in Soho, (not paid for of course) and sleep in a big bed with no DC waking me up or DH radiating heat like a volcano and wrapping himself round me. I have breakfast delivered via room service and it is absolute bliss (I pay for the room service).

I look forward to it now but to be honest it is a complete waste of time and money- the training/meeting could be done online but the government insist one of us attends so work send me.

I have to get up at 3 next month for a flight for work, will land and go straight to the office for the rest of the day, client dinner, overnight stay and a full day the following day before a late flight home. It’s shit but it’s normal for work travel.

Yes but they know this when they agree to the job. This is not the same at all 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'd be prepared to bet that this is covered in the contract. It's absolutely standard for employment contracts to say that the employee must work where directed by the employer or as required for the purposes of the work the company does - not least because no employer can guarantee that the place of work will stay the same. That terminology includes being directed to attend a conference out of the office.

I would imagine the people who are doing this as a daily commute aren't doing it for 30k either

I would expect them to pay a taxi to the train station. A 10am meeting 300 miles away is from can they move the first one to later?

DP leaves for work at 6.50am every day. Neighbours husband goes out about 5.45am.
It's not that early, esp as a one-off.

YANBU

unless the contract you have with your employer states that you are expected to travel for training then I can see why you are feeling annoyed.
I wonder how many people that have commented stating that they have to do long commutes and early starts regularly are earning a hell of a lot more than 30k per year and they would of been aware of commutes and expected working hours before taking on the role.

If you are working longer than your contracted hours you will be due back time from the employer also.

check the ACAS website but I’m sure your travel time may have to be paid as you are not going to your normal place of work but again it will depend on your contract.

As a one off it doesn't seem unreasonable. Many people catch a train at that time when commuting. Presumably you will get expenses (petrol/train fare) back, but it does seem a bit stingey not to pay the extra night.

Just a thought but would it be worth you driving say 40miles to a town that's on a more direct line - so claim petrol and train fair back. If the meetings start on a Monday, would the train fair be cheaper if you travelled on a Sunday? If so it might be that Sunday train plus extra night might not be much more expensive than Monday train.

You could of course decline if it's not in your contract.

Discuss how the additional hours are going to be compensated,check your contract.
Ask for time in lieu.

No not clinical. But it's true of the regional and national teams. I did loads of site visits last year and that was the rule on when to get a hotel the night before.

Ah ha ha ha ha ha...my ex employer saw nothing wrong with me driving from Bristol to Manchester for 11am to 5pm conference. Then to Swansea(no motorway) to train external clients staff the next day 9 to 4. Then drive to the city of London to meet client CEO 10-2. Then back to Bristol where I popped into the office to catch up on email cos it was the naughties and I wasn't important enough (though meeting CEO 's of international banks) to have email at home.
Oh and my boss was not happy that I wanted to leave our head office in Halifax at 2pm to go home to Bristol the next week...God I hope the feedback I gave hr about not having any relationship with him cos I never spent any time with him as he never came to Bristol and was that he rude made sure he was made redundant the same time as me....I'd already set up an alternative business which the redundancy money funded!

@Twyford if you read the OP’s posts you’d know that there is no such contractual requirement, rendering your posts irrelevant.

Your bias is showing btw.

Have you something to add that hasn’t been said already? Helpful even…

I think if this is going to happen several times a years you need to make more of a fuss about it now. I don’t function if I have to get up that early, and I wouldn’t sleep either with worry about the alarm. The money spent on training would be wasted as I wouldn’t be very awake at least for the first day. Maybe explain it that way to your employer. As they’re paying for three days of it, it must be important training / meetings for you to attend and to perform well.

My employer (tight as they are being public sector) would still allow me to stay in a hotel the night before as it’s such an early start. I appreciate lots of people start that early for their jobs but I would never chose to do a job where I did that and it sounds as though you’re the same OP.

It also benefits your employer if you stay the night before as you’re guaranteed to be on time for the training. I had to do a long south-north (and cross London) journey for an 11am start which would have been fine if not for the very sad incident on the line. Eventually made it just after lunch. Try selling the benefits to them of you being awake and guaranteed to be there with no issues.

It's one early start, you ARE being ridiculous and if you don't want honest opinions then don't post on public forums! They're not asking you to take that train every day for the foreseeable future, it's ONE day