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 !

Yeah I’d be annoyed at having to travel 6 hours for enforced fun if I usually worked in a shop, if you were being asked to travel to a trade show or to cover another shop and do your actual job, it wouldn’t be as bad, but you’re just going to sit there all day resenting them. I’d take the day as holiday and look for another job if I were you.

I think the issue here is the lack of notice. They told you you were off and then told you that you are not.
If you were told from the start this was the situation then fine but telling you now doesn’t seem fair and means you may have already made plans/ could be difficult to now arrange childcare.

And told their employees they could not 'progress' in the company unless they attended.

Never heard of Black Eye Friday.

What's that?

I think it's a big ask to drive 3 hours to Manchester.

The traffic will be crazy because lots of people will take that day off to make it a long weekend before the 25th.

I think they are being unreasonable given the distance and the traffic on that day.

6 hours of driving outside of normal working hours is not an easy day. That sounds very tiring.

Midnight? OP said she'd be home for 9pm.

That said, I'd suck up the unpaid day and not go.

After the traveling costs would it be worth a days pay? If there's not much in it and you can choose to go and lose a days pay, I'd just not go.

The travel is also an issue. Some of it should be in work time (so event for a shorter time) and you should have been given notice of it

With pre Christmas traffic it could easily be later and with a 3 hour drive probably needs to also factor in a toilet/ food stop

Depends on proximity of end and start point to the train stations though

Yes, I’m aware that plenty of companies close the office/business over the period between Christmas and New Year and that annual leave has to be used for those three days. My husband works for an organisation that does this.
Also, lots of places only close for the bank holidays on 25th, 26th and 1st Jan.

(I haven’t forgotten essential services that don’t close at all before someone points that out).

In winter is pitch black driving.

This. Employers can be really dumb, this is not the way to inspire loyalty.

I'd not go.

It sounds as if the owners have no idea of the traffic on the 23rd which is when most people will be travelling.

Going across country from Northumberland to Manchester is not an easy drive.
You should expect delays and you'd need to leave home very early.

The M6 is notorious for jams and accidents.

I'd find another job.

There must be plenty of work in shops between Morpeth and Newcastle- even if you have to travel into Newcastle each day.

its def not ideal timing but not an unreasonable request in itself (Chrismas eve would be unreasonable IMO as it's very usual for businesses to shut up shop at about lunchtime on that day).

However it seems nuts to me that you don't get travel expenses, what's the rationale for that? I'd 100% be getting the train but I just hate driving long distances. But you can hardly enjoy a tipple if you're having to drive 3h home.

while the M6 is awful the OP won't be going anywhere near it. She will have to deal with the M62 though.

According to Trainline, the 09.02 from Newcastle to Manchester takes 2 hrs and 18 minutes. And a return at 19.00 takes 2 hrs and 18 mins. That return ticket would cost you £53.29 if you booked it today.
Much easier and less stressful than driving - and let's face it, you'd have to pay to put petrol in your car anyway!

You clearly don't know the location @BIWI
Getting from where the OP lives to Newcastle is quite a hike, either by car or bus. She'd need to factor in time for that (and parking at the station) which is easily an hour or more.

And trying to get a seat on the 23rd is going to be a nightmare.

oh actually you could go cross country and down the m6, but that def takes longer

Have you expressed any dissatisfaction in public about this?

Do you have kids?

If the answers are no and yes, I would personally find that my child had come down with an awful vomiting bug on the morning of the 23rd and I had to look after them.

23/24 Dec are completely normal working days. I don't understand the outrage.

Yeah I love to buy a while bathroom on Christmas Eve, definitely the best day for selecting the concealed flush toilet and matching bidet of my dreams 😂

I think it is bad to expect people to travel so far for something like this in the winter and when traffic will be heavy. I would be very unhappy about that. However if you want the day off I guess you should have booked leave.

I'm from the North East. 'Break up' is commonly used to describe the end of work and the start of the Christmas break and I'm over 60. No need to be rude, and it is definitely mean of the company to make someone PAY for themselves to go to this, and not even cover the additional travel time by TOIL.

She's not going to actual work, she's being forced to make a six hour return commute for a shitty away day

Would legit love a bidet for Christmas @Newusernameforthiss