To lie and not travel to a work meeting?

[mamabeeboo]

At the company for just over 2 years and dates/location have been announced for the annual work meeting. It's a lot of meetings, presentations, the CEO will be there (woop-de-dah!). It's somewhat relevant to my role, but wouldn't make a difference if I went/didn't go. I know this because when it was on last year, due to budget restraints, some people were not invited (like my team) and this didn't impact anything at all, targets were met and all went well.

I am invited this year and I don't want to go. I don't want the hassle of waking early to take a plane for work, participate in the fake niceties, spend all day trying not to dose off during presentations, have crappy buffet sandwiches daily, then networking dinners, enough to be exhausted to collapse into your hotel room ready to do it all again tomorrow, it's a 3 day long conference but 4 days total including travel time.

Work are arranging the travel that I am there just for the meetings and not a second to spare to see the city or do anything I want to do.

Manager has said it's a great opportunity to meet the wider team (yawn) and the CEO (yippee) and learn more about our products.

No it's not compulsory but "It would be nice" if I could attend.

It's also clearly not an important part of my job, because if it was, I'd have been invited last year.

I have blamed childcare and no one to look after DC. Which is a lie because DH can do it. Manager has expressed disappointment and has been a little off with me (or maybe it's just me overthinking) and has asked maybe DH can take time off work, maybe grandparents can help? I've said no and no.

AIBU?

You’re putting yourself in a vulnerable position if redundancies come up. It’s part of your job so in your shoes I’d suck it up and at least show willing.

This would be my DH’s interpretation of your lack of commitment to the company and team too. It would definitely impact an annual appraisal and contribute to perhaps only barely a ‘meets’ rather than ‘exceeds expectations… and a lower annual bonus award. There are quite a few of these events that he has to attend, too, but would rather not; however he pitches up, smiles and makes his team feel valued and appreciated for the effort they’ve put in by attending.

Not sure how many corporate conferences any of these folks had to attend in their time? 😀 If Shakespeare had been employed full time in an office job I don't think he would have written many plays.

Ugh @mamabeeboo I feel you. Next week I have to fly, do an overnight, to do one 20 minute interview for a magazine write up. About sustainability... But the important corporate people are too important to do a video interview, and they couldn't possibly schedule me in the middle of the day so I could do a day trip like I've done before. I'm still breastfeeding overnight. I hate this corporate bs, but needs must apparently.

Who said no one should want to?

The person I quoted, who said they were astonished there was anyone who wanted to do anything but sit in a little box. Perhaps you should look at your reading skills, and address the rudeness too.

Surprised 43% think YNBU. Look, we all (largely!) hate this corporate shit but we have to suck it up. OP's 'attitude' shines through this thread and her manager has clearly picked up on it. Whilst she won't get fired for this, she'll likely be more vulnerable when it's comes to reorgs, cost cutting and redundancies

A relevant meeting I am very happy attending, and have done in the past. I've travelled, presented, played jeapordy and all the other corporate games that need to be done in those meetings.

However,

This meeting is a "nice to have", for me. It's not relevant and wouldn't change any decisions I made going forward.

It's short sighted to base any promotions etc on an irrelevant meeting.

I enjoy my job somewhat, it's OK and keeps me busy.

But "getting a new job " isn't an option to fix my supposed attitude because I'd take it to the new job 😂 I just don't like the idea of working for the csuite and investors. Which is with most well payed jobs.

(The ceo made a big joke on how he flew in last year on his helicopter 🙄 so forgive me if I'm not jumping for joy at the chance to meet him).

This kind of demand is a huge problem for single parents. Companies now dont want to pay enough for a worker to keep a SAHP but they want you to work as if you have one. 4 days loss of free time, leisure, fitness, childcare, healthy home cooked eating , decent sleep - why do they deserve this? Are they paying for it? Are they giving anything in lieu, like an understanding that no one really does anything on Friday afternoons, or generous expenses? I am kind of horrified by the arse licking in this thread. In the olden days, you were either bloody well paid and you were expected to show up for this kind of bullshit, or you were averagely paid and fuck that. Now they want everyone doing it, even when they’re not paying enough to service a mortgage on a 2 bed flat. Fuck em

I really dislike the ‘oh I don’t have any childcare’ excuse but I would prefer it wayyyyyy more than ‘my dc is ill’ - who the actual fek lies about a child being ill!

Op… re your thread about how to get to directorship level, since then, any progress?

Perhaps any company registered in the UK should be required alongside financial results to declare the number of flights their staff have been required to make, especially those for internal conferences.

I bet numbers would reduce as a result.

Perhaps some of us would rather flights were reduced for nonsense like this.

@LlynTegid Haha maybe, alas, the major multinational which is requiring (paying) our micro company (and many others like us) would probably not give a damn! So it wouldn't change things for me.

Nope! Because no one replied!!

I'm also in two minds regarding how much I want to progress because see the travel and all the extra work involved and quite frankly cba 😂

On the basis of this thread Op, I don’t think it’s for you.

Or indeed your manager will think it’s for you!

The extent of boot-licking on this thread! I think you are making the right decision not to go, it honestly sounds like a complete waste of (precious) time that could be spent with your family, pursuing hobbies/interests instead.

I'm so glad DH and I both work for local government, and have never had to suffer this corporate rubbish!

As some have said above, the boot licking is hilarious 😂.

Despite stories and stories of corporations doing what Is in their best interest only, regardless of the employees, starting right from before you join the role where it's the norm for the salary to not be shared in the job description.

Although there are many in the poll who have voted YANU.

And yet you start a thread asking mumsnet for how you can progress to directorship?

the corporate rubbish is what pays my bonuses and expenses, so I take that any day over local governement 😂

I mean personally I prefer to play the corporate game and get paid handsomely for it rather than settle for not playing the game and staying plateaued. I think those of us doing the 'boot licking' are just making the game work in our favour.
No one - employers or employees - are working out of the goodness of their hearts and I'm very happy and confident leveraging all the networking and connections I do to make sure I'm paid well and have better job security. And if the worst happens and I'm made redundant anyway, I have connections across with previous coworkers to get started on a new job hunt and a decent prior salary to negotiate with.

@thedogatethecattreats The word is 'government' but never mind 😂. And I would take my brilliant pension, 35 hour week, guaranteed pay rises and career progression over corporate slavery anytime!

Perfectly put

As the sole employee of a parish council? Can’t see much scope for progression there

I would suck it up and go.

I would go at least once purely for selfish reasons.
People don't often get promoted/ not made redundant because they are the hardest workers but because they have the best connections. Which you do get precisely at those conventions. They are primarily for networking most people don't care about the presentations. And networks give you a leg up if you ever get made redundant/ want to change jobs.
One reason why mothers often don't get promoted is that they can't attend those informal out of business hours. Which absolutely sucks but unfortunately that's often the corporate world.