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 still think it's reasonable to be expected to work on 23rd which is a normal business day, but I agree that it's unreasonable not to be giving travel expenses, and expecting you to leave home at 6am to get there by 9am is unreasonable - they should be having an 11am start time or be paying for a hotel. Is there a Plymouth branch of the shop? Staff from there would have a 5.5hr journey to get to Manchester - leaving home at 3:30 AM!

I hate forced social events for work, which is what this is. I don't think it's reasonable, but you're stuck. So either take the day off, or go and smile. The threat about progress in the company is daft, and makes them look petty.

That's straightforward then. Get together to say collectively that no travel expenses means no travel.

Do you belong to a union?

Tell them you're prepared to work that day instead of the Manchester nonsense. Have your own mini party at work.

Why not get another job. This company sound terrible.

Never heard of sales assts of what must be a small-ish bath store being asked to travel for 6+ hours to a Xmas do and also 'threatened' that their career won't progress.

Unless you're a shop manager and there is some special reason why you need to attend, I'd not go.

You have several big towns within a 30 minute drive where you live.
Surely there are better options?

It's because it's not them having to do it 🤣

Potentially your car insurance may not cover driving for work, other than your usual commute to one place.

Even if it does, you may want to tell your work that your car insurance absolutely doesn't cover this......

Also check your contact to see if you are employed to work at one site only or multi sites.

Or catch a sick bug

Shops being closed is not the same as you getting a day off

I think it is normal to have to work the 23rd, I do. It is outrageous that they are asking you to drive to Manchester, totally tone deaf management. If you want throw some sort of 'party' or social for your employees you make it easy for them. The boss should travel to the shop or have it somewhere local. If he has some weird reason for needing it to be in Manchester then lay on a coach or something.

I hate this typical management bullshit who think doing stuff like this makes people feel valued - ooh the big boss is buying us all pizza or is deigning to let us into his house - we must feel so honoured. Staff just want to be paid fairly, treated fairly and have a work life balance.

I think its nice that the owner wants to create some team spirit, but if you already made other plans just give your apologies and take it as annual leave.

You need to 'break down' on the way. Go out one day and stage some photos of you standing on a hard shoulder next to your car looking sad and anxious. Put the hazard warning lights on. Take a separate photo at home and fake some smoke coming from the engine. Just a close up with your DH holding a sheet of burning newspaper nearby or some such.

Then text - Aargh breakdown on M[*] - Roadside assistance on way but they are slammed because of the time of year. Said they had a horrific black eye Friday and still catching up. Will be there when I can. Then just don't turn up.

Of course YANBU. Expecting you to do a 6 hour round trip is unreasonable on any day but the roads and public transport is busier and more chaotic at that time of year. It just doesn’t foster goodwill in employees. What are people with childcare issues meant to do? Or any other family responsibility?

At my previous job, driving was part of the role. Any driving/work outside of normal hours was given back as TOIL and travel expenses were covered.

Tbh, I get the feeling that the company you work for probably describes themselves as "family". I'd be looking for a new job.

Ahhhh Ok that makes sense. Well that’s a new one on me 😃

We always had TOIL offered.

Whilst it's not a legal requirement for a company to pay travel expenses, it's good practice to do so and the fact that they're not and expecting a 6-hour commute to have what amounts as forced fun so close to Christmas too (when it's going to be very busy) is very unreasonable of the employer.

They absolutely can make this request and aren't being unreasonable in expecting you to work on this day-however, from a morale standpoint-they're really not doing a lot to boost it, are they?

It would be one thing if they said they were covering the travel expenses for this day of delightful forced fun (can you tell I hate this type of shit?) and paying overtime/giving time back in lieu-then it would fall into a reasonable request.

But to expect employees to pay out of their own pocket to travel 6 hours to play games and "enjoy" snacks isn't reasonable at all. The issue isn't that it's so close to Christmas. That's a red herring, I think. Ultimately, the 23rd is a normal working day and yes, they can expect you to work it-but is it really reasonable to expect employees to do this with zero reimbursement from the company?

What I'd be doing is totting up how much it's going to cost me to get there and back in fuel and time and then how much I'd be expecting in pay for that day-and then making my decision from there whether I can afford to lose the day's pay or not.

But your employer doesn't sound all that good, if I'm honest.

Exactly.

These types of threads always have the same types crawling out their manager's arseholes to witter on about how they would do this with no questions asked and how dare anyone else complain! People just don't want to work nowadays!

It's easy to tell others to do it when you're not the one being told to.

Why do you think you need to be off the day before Xmas Eve? It’s not a holiday, so just take it as annual leave 🤷‍♀️

Thank ya lucky stars you get a Xmas break unlike some off us!!

Quite. She should be paying for the privilege 😳

Don't work a job where you have to work Xmas if you're bitter about it.

Just ask them for expenses, and say that you can’t afford to pay the extra travel and overnight ( so you can get there in time in the morning.). Because you are really looking forward to it, but you just can’t manage the extra unexpected expense, especially so near Christmas.

I think you have to tell us what awful company this is! It's very late to be only introducing this company day if you were originally told you were finishing on Friday 20th. What if people have unmovable plans by now? Fine to declare Mon 23rd as a normal working day which it is for many people but not if you have been told differently until now.

If it's going to take you three hours to get there and this is a nationwide company there must be people coming from even further away who will have no option but to stay overnight or drive all night - and you say there are no travel expenses! That's pretty outrageous.

On your marks and get set for the race to the bottom...