To think we shouldn't have to work the day before Christmas Eve?

[blinddoorshyt]

I work in a bathroom shop.
We are closed over Christmas and were lead to believe we broke up on the 22nd
Turns out now we don't
On the 23rd we have to travel to Manchester (3 hours each way ) to have a buffet and games with the company owner.
We have to listen to a presentation on how the company's done this year.
If we don't go we will have a day deducted from our salary.
It's the day before Christmas Eve and we have to drive to Manchester to have picky food with the owner and play Christmas games.
Aibu to think it's ridiculous?
And we have been repeatedly told if we don't go we won't get paid and it will halt any progression in the company !

I don't blame you op for not wanting to work that day when you have to travel so far and not get adequate compensation.

It's unfortunate the way you worded your AIBU and missed out that the real issue is the unpaid and unreasonable travel.

I would not go, take the day as leave and look for a new job in the new year if you find it has affected your prospects as they've threatened.

I agree there are two different issues here. OP can certainly be required to attend events she personally considers pointless for the benefit of the business, and team building and corporate away days fall into this.

She should be getting paid travel, expenses and extra time, or the equivalent of the time off in lieu, and consideration for those who will find the travel difficult. She should be allowed to book annual leave for this reason without it affecting her job prospects.

Err, most people can't. Certainly not me.

Aside from the obvious pregnant women and women on their periods, whether it's just age or health only a minority of adults can go 3 hours without the toilet in the day. Many can't at night either.

I disagree. If your job is working in a shop, it's working in a shop - 9-6, not doing six hour round trips on one of the shortest days of the year.

Also, does the OP have car insurance for business purposes?

This whole thing is ridiculous.

OP, tell the boss you aren't going because it's too long a day, too much driving, too expensive and potentially dangerous if the weather is bad, and look for another job.

The level to the bottom on employees rights some posters here are having is beyond disgusting.

Her company is making the OP travel 6 hours for a fucking presentation 2 days before Christmas. They don't give a shit about her contract or the fact the company is closing for business on the 20th of December. They are forcing her to attend a presentation that easily could be moved to January, and are not paying mileage for using her car or higher wages for the hours (with travelling involved).

None of this is in her contract but she's expected to take it on the chin. Bullshit. I would raise it with the manager but I'd be going to a GP to get sick leave for gastroenteritis if the company didn't listen or care.

You work in a shop. You should be open on 24th.

Sorry. Got wrong end of stick. I wouldn't travel anywhere for 6 hours in a day, work or not.

This sounds perfectly fine to me. Part and parcel of the job

It’s really not part and parcel of a shop assistant’s job (probably on close to minimum wage) to attend a mandatory ‘jolly’, three hours drive from home, resulting in a 15 hour work day, for no extra pay, while actually having to pay the best part of a days wages to be there! After previously being told this day would be a non-working day.

I think you’re muddling the jobs/expectations of more senior/better paid members of staff in some companies with those more junior members. Although I don’t know of any company that wouldn’t pay travel expenses for a day like this, at the very minimum.

Day before Christmas eve.

@blinddoorshyt take it as unpaid leave, it’s not worth driving all that way for party nibbles

Have you read even a little bit of the thread?

Do you have evidence for this? I’m 59 and disabled and can easily not need the loo in a three-hour period. I would think it very odd if “most” adults can’t.

Not offering travel expenses is unreasonable. (Presumably employees could car-share, though.)

Expecting you to work on 23rd December is not unreasonable at all. (My daughter, who has young children, is on her work rota for the whole of Christmas week.)

Always been Mad Friday where I’ve worked. (NHS/Ambulance services.)

This definitely a ridiculous request of them Op.
For the people who aren’t understanding the outrage, the Op is being asked to travel over 6 hours (let’s face it, Christmas and winter traffic) to attend a team building day, training or a Christmas party? I’m not sure what the owner is classing it as but he’s doing a dodgy regardless, without being compensated for travel.
For a shop assistant this wouldn’t be in their contract or be expected.
Op if you can please speak to a union rep. What they are doing is illegal, they must compensate you for travel as it’s classed as excessive and outside of your normal work hours. Also the threat if you don’t attend is incredibly inappropriate and they should be put on notice for that.

The day before Christmas Eve is not a special day you should expect off. You need to suck that up.

Your legitimate complaint is that travel expenses are not being paid plus that you’re not getting toil.

Staff on minimum wage shouldn’t be sucking up travel costs. The train cost is going to be a really high proportion of the OP’s daily wage. When you’re more senior it’s the sort of thing you have to suck up but not if you’re doing a shift in retail.

The event itself sounds weird, but having to work on the 23rd in itself is perfectly fine. It’s a normal working day. Most retail staff will be working Christmas Eve.

Unless you were specifically told 23rd is a holiday, it isn't. Same with the 24th.
It sounds that your employer wants to give you a bit of a pre-Christmas treat in Manchester.

Some trades close for the whole two weeks. Usually building trades. They do literally ‘break up’ and have the same as the schools off. Not just close between Christmas & New Year.

I work in admin in the nhs. No breaking up for us. If want days off over Xmas that are not bank holidays then you book them as annual leave but you probably won't get the same time off next year as the days need to be shared. No leaving early Xmas eve or new years day and no gifts/money from management ever. Unless you work with some nice management who buy you something out of their own pocket.

It's a pain but you have all of Christmas off. Plenty of people are working Xmas eve and day so your very lucky to have such a good chunk of time off. Just do your best to enjoy it and maybe for next year suggest that they have their bizarre team building day at the start of December with travel expenses included!

I think this would have been reasonable (if annoying - a journey of that length just for some corporate puff and faff so the company can look like it cares about its staff?) if they'd given you more notice, not chopped and changed with the plans, and were paying your travelling expenses. As it is, though, I think they're being pretty unreasonable. Their implied threats are quite nasty and suggest the company doesn't really value its staff. I worked in retail at one time and this is all in line with my experiences, sounds typical of the industry tbh.

I don't think there is anything wrong with you having to take annual leave if you don't want to work on the 23rd, but it is also unreasonable expecting people to do a 6 hour round trip on any day of the year.

Different industries. Public service, specially those in health, can't compare to private businesses. Public service needs to maintain skeleton staff and Xmas holidays need to be booked in advance without assurance you'll get them.

Frankly, I often think reading posts on MN that it's not wonder the UK is in such a mess. Employee rights are being eroded after years of gains on sweat and tears, because people don't care and it's a race to the bottom where employers can do as they please, and have most people applauding them if they think they are worse off against another worker.

Fucking unbelievable.