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 !

This is getting hilarious. Driving in the dark, not able to go 3 hrs without food and toilet breaks. Are we talking about adults?

This bit is unreasonable.

Tell them you don't have access to a car.

Ask them to book you train tickets.

I don’t understand some of these responses totally lacking in empathy.

It’s one thing having to work on the 23rd (I will be) but there’s multiple issues here.

Firstly, OP was apparently told they wouldn’t have to work it and it’s been a relatively last minute change,and secondly it’s not at their normal workplace location - instead it’s 3 hours each way, possibly much more with Christmas traffic. They’ll be leaving at 6am and not getting back until 9pm earliest AND Thirdly, they’re not getting travel expenses. And finally the threat of not moving up in the company because of not attending this one day is OTT as well given the circumstances.

Each one of these things is bad enough in isolation but together it’s a shit show.

I’d decline and just let it get deducted off my annual leave and start looking into alternative employment for 2025 so by the time next years Christmas comes round you’ll be gone! It’s not just because of the effort involved for this one day per se, it’s because the company enforcing this shows a real lack of consideration especially during this cost of living crisis. I mean some people may end up having to fork out extra for petrol and childcare. So out of principe, unless it was a really incredible job otherwise I’d take this as a sign that I’m not meant to be working for a company like this . I agree with pp who said it doesn’t exactly inspire loyalty and goodwill in workers!

The fact so many people just think you should suck it up and enjoy shows how much we need the Unions back and how working conditions have declined.

What will happen if you don't go?
When you know that-and it seems they have given an indication-then you have to weigh up whether those consequences would mean anything to you personally-don't worry about what colleagues say-think about what they would mean for you.

If they don't mean that much, wouldn't have an adverse effect on you, would be nothing you can't handle-then don't go.

If they would have a negative effect on your life, then go.

That's it really.

It’s a Monday, take it as annual leave if you want it off

The outrage is a 6 hr drive in the dark on busy roads (and 6 hrs is the minimum, not factoring in Xmas traffic.)

Most people don’t finish until end of day on 24th!!

What’s black eye Friday? Sounds painful,

My DP needs the loo every 45 mins. Health issues. You'd be surprised how many people can't wait for 3 hours.

What's black eye Friday? 23rd 24th are working days.

Op, don't go, lose the days pay and look for something else while you are off. I don't think the kind of company that expects you to travel 6 hours with no overtime pay or travel cost reimbursement is the kind of place you want to progress. You can tell them this when you hand your notice in

All of this.

So many people on here seem to think that if you aren’t down a coal mine all day and paid in gravel count your self lucky

Just goes to show how effective the seriously rich have been at getting all the wage slaves to race to the bottom.

Sounds a bit rubbish OP. I wouldn't want to travel three hours for a corporate do and then three hours home again so close to Christmas, and I never even been asked to as an employee: I've worked at many different companies over the years (full disclosure: I've never been a high flyer type!) How much you want to progress within this company is the question you need to mull over. The way you say you work in the shop I assume means that you're a sales person, not a manager? It's completely understandable for a company to want senior staff to take part in something like this, but everyone? It makes a difference what your position is and also what ambition you have for your future at this company. Also, no travel expenses being allowed is quite poor of them!

@blinddoorshyt any chance they could let people join on zoom for the business bit? I hate xmas

I worked Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day in my previous profession.

Changed jobs and became self employed. Now I take the whole of December off and most of January.

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

My previous employer would always tell everyone to stop work and come and enjoy a mince pie and some brandy at about 11:30am let everyone go home at 12:30pm on Christmas Eve but if you wanted the day off you would have to take a full day rather than a half-day, which always seemed a bit unfair but the fact of the matter is that you are contractually expected to work that day and instead of making you work they are putting on a bit of a shindig. YABU to moan about it. And the company is perfectly reasonable to say that anyone who moans or skives off will not be considered for progression - I wouldn't want people who can't participate in such a thing to be in a senior rolw under me either.

The one thing that you are mildly reasonable to be miffed about is if you were clearly told that you could have that monday off for free. But I don't think you were - I think you were told that the shops would be shut that day, which is not the same thing.

You have the right to a set number of paid days off per year, but the employer is fully entitled to decree when those days off are, and requiring you to take some of them on days convenient to themselves is perfectly normal and not something to gripe about, nor is having a company meeting on a day when all the branches are going to be shut anyway - it sounds very sensible to me as otherwise it would be impossible to get everyone together without losing business.

I think the main issue here is that the work OP does (shop asst) does not normally require this amount of travel or use of her personal time.

It's usually senior managers who are expected to travel these distances for important meetings, but they are rewarded by bigger salaries.

If someone is on the minimum wage they should not be expected to drive for 6+ hours, the evening before Xmas eve, for a sausage roll and a pep talk.

My guess is this company will not survive very long because they management seem tone deaf in terms of their staff.

Bathroom shops come and go very quickly- look at the Bath Store and Soak- here today, gone tomorrow.

But were you expected to drive for 6-7 hours across country in winter, so close to Xmas, for a mince pie?

Totally and utterly ridiculous idea from the owners of this store.

Spot on - the ones at the top are laughing all the way to the bank as it’s been mission accomplished from their POV. A race to the bottom indeed.

It's a normal working day but I agree it's rather close to Christmas for lengthy travel for work purposes and sounds impractical in this day and age.

Instead of forking out for this event give everyone a bonus or another day off, and do the meeting on Zoom.

For one thing they usually start doing engineering works on the trains and there could be bad weather.

I wouldn't mind going per se if the journey is not too bad- as others say it might be a bit of a jolly. But not if I'm going to risk being stuck several hours away from home just before Christmas.

@blinddoorshyt
Start looking for another job now.

You're well placed for a job in Morpeth or even Newcastle.

Not sure where you are based but from your posts you're either in posh Ponteland or Cramlington or a smaller town on the coast.

There will be other shops who are better to work for.

So does the OP have medical issues? Most adults can go 3 hrs without the loo. My husband's nearly 80 and he still can.

Not getting paid travel expenses!?! They can fuck right off then.

Your husband is a rarity that's for sure.

Most men over 60 have prostate issues and yes, it's a medical problem. I said so. All his friends are the same.

But it’s not a normal work day that she is expected to do. It is significantly longer due to travel time, she is being told about it at short notice and she is going to be incurring a large travel expense that she is not getting reimbursed for.