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 !

Do what you want to do. Forget the pay it's just life it's in your contract somewhere no doubt and make sure you belong to a union in future.

They are not considering your health and safety with such a long day driving etc. they should pay you for the time. Just take a days holiday instead or review your sick pay policy.

yea people work long shifts and don’t get Xmas off but this isn’t even your regular place of work.
is the shop actually shut? You are available to work there. This is how companies lose staff.

speak to ACAS. You will also need business insurance on your car as commuting only covers you to one place of work if you read the policy carefully.

they can’t expect travel time to come out of your regular day and the cost. What if you didn’t drive and there was no public transport available.

this wouldn’t fit in with people with childcare or caring responsibilities either.

personally I just would take the hit on pay and have a day off as if it will cost you more to work that day then you actually save money.

or just call and say broken down. Can you lift share with other people?

It might be a one off, it might not.

What I'm interested in is where you draw the line?

What is an acceptable amount of work related expenses for the OP to pay from her own pocket to do something which is not in her contract?

During the years when I ran a significant business one of my main aims was, as far as possible, to make sure everyone had a good time. This objective which had nothing obviously to do with profit was in fact very profitable and we sold out for a handsome sum in which everyone had a share. We had amazing parties.

I was exactly the same. My MO was let's do a great job as quickly as possible so we can piss off early.

I had to spend all week with those staff, who wants to be surrounded by tense or miserable people?

They wholeheartedly embraced the approach, and productivity went through the roof.

I didn’t say anything was her fault. I said I understand her annoyance. But my original point was most people work jobs where they even work Christmas Eve (and some Christmas Day) to give her some perspective that it’s not too bad.
Stand up to relatives? You want me to shout at my sister just because I didn’t feel like travelling hours but did anyway because I’m a good sister?
Are you actually ok?

Your travel to relatives is irrelevant to OPs situation.
Also, the post is not about having to work Christmas Eve or Christmas day, so thats also irrelavant.

Exactly

Do you even know what irrelevant means- or how to spell it?

Yes, I agree with most posters, it’s a normal working day. I will be working until 6pm, colleagues until 7pm, on Christmas Eve and we open again at 8am on the 27th so I think you should be grateful that you have extra time off. I would love if we could finish early on Christmas Eve even.

It’s a normal working day as not a bank
holiday and if it’s within your contracted normal hours then I would expect you to have to work. I’m having to work Christmas Eve as it’s not a BH and it’s one of my normal contracted days to work and we can’t book annual leave. It sucks but at least I have Christmas Day and Boxing Day off after working many years in an industry where every day is a normal working day

I don’t know that “most posters” would share your opinion actually.

Have either of you even read the thread? It’s not just about working the day before Christmas Eve( I’ll be working that day too and it’s fine ) it’s about asking her to travel 3 hours each way to Manchester relatively last minute. And on a day where the roads are likely to be super busy and not reimbursing her for travel expenses on train or car.

This could easily be a more enjoyable and productive event if they moved it to say late January, paid for accommodation or travel expenses and made it a slightly shorter day eg. 10am to 4:30pm.

Employees will respect them more and be more switched on and focused without having to make such a journey during the height of the festive period.

There’s no need for this. It’s inconsiderate and disrespectful and will do nothing to boost staff morale.

i think it's unreasonable of them to expect you to travel (in your own vehicle) all the way to Manchester in time for an event starting at 9am - you say it's a 3 hour journey so you' have to leave your house at 6am?!

Not getting home till 9pm means it's a 15 hour working day, including the 6 hours of driving, in the dark, in what might well be bad weather and /or treacherous/ busy road conditions...

Being ompensated with an extra 2 hours off in the new year hardly makes up for this double-length working day! or are they saying that you're being paid to work on both the 23rd an 24th but shouldn't do any work on the 24th?

I don't think that you can or should be forced to work outside of your ontracted hours? what would happen if you already had care or other commitments?

What woul happen if your car broke down between now and then?
or you found out from your insurance company that you weren't covered for business travel?

If I were you, I'd think about oviously 'feeling ill' (being prepared to show this to everyone the week before - while you talk about how much you're looking forward to the party) so that your eventual disappointment about being so sick that you can't go after all, is so much more believable?!

Yeah, fuck that, they can fucking spin on it. It takes me 20 minutes to get to work, and we usually work up until lunch time on Christmas Eve, If I was told I had to go somewhere other than my normal workplace, especially one 3 hours away and out of my own pocket, on any day at short notice they'd be told where to go. They'd especially be told where to fucking go if they had the audacity to mention that progression in the company depended on attendance too, the arseholes.

Also to add, just a few months ago, I had to go on a one day training course, it was 3 hours away, it was booked 3 months in advance, I was given a hire car, a hotel room the night before the course as it started at 8am, paid travelling time at overtime rate, still paid my day rate plus shift premium for 2 days I wasn't at work, and claimed for food and fuel used.

READ THE FUCKING THREAD

It's neither within her contracted hours (when you include the 6 hours of travel time) nor in her contracted location.

😂 quite!

May be a clause allowing them to require her to travel…

She says there's nothing in her contract about travelling.

In general, if you work in a shop earning minimum wage or not much above it, you're not required to travel for work. And if you have the kind of job where you are required to travel for work, you're not only likely to be better paid, but you are appropriately compensated for your travel time and expenses.

My contract has a clause in it about business travel. If I were required to spend a day somewhere three hours away starting at 9am and finishing at 6pm, you can bet your life I'd be put up in a hotel the night before and both my accommodation and travel costs would be expensed (as well as any meals I had to buy). And the chances of my employer scheduling something like that the day before the Christmas holidays in the absence of a dire business related emergency are pretty much zero.

Even in the public sector if you have to travel for work you get your train ticket paid for and a lunch allowance.

Try reading the thread

Okay so the official running order of the day is out and it gets better ...the owner isn't even going to be there he's doing a live video link at 1 pm and calling it "the kings speech " till 2pm

So we arrive 9am
9-12 is games
12-1 is lunch
1-2 pm is the kings speech
2-5 more games

So after him dragging us all to Manchester he isn't going to be there

Sounds like a complete pisstake!

have they finally agreed to cover the travel costs??

This is so insane i think you should hand in your notice as a direct response tbh 😆.

How disrespectful is that video call?!

Also - stressing every out mentally and physically for 6 hours of games?

Are you seriously planning on going?

Do you even earn more in a day than the petrol will cost?