To pull out of work charity walk due to shared accommodation?

[Weeksh]

We are travelling to a well known landmark next month for a charity walk. The company are covering the cost of travel and accommodation for one night.

It has been revealed this morning that the accommodation is to be shared rooms at a hostel type accommodation. No issue with hostels, but my issue is having to share a room (bunk beds) with colleagues and navigate the usual bodily functions etc.

Would it be wrong of me to drop out? Booking alternative accommodation isn’t an option - there’s nothing near which is suitable and available.

If it was a twin room, with a female colleague that I got on with reasonably well I’d consider it.

Not a chance with 3 + colleagues of mixed sex. The walls to the en-suite (if you’re lucky to have one) are not that thick!

and mumsnet says young people have no resilience...

what a bunch of absolute melts unable to bunk up for one night as part of an adventure raising funds for a good cause.

absolutely ridiculous to get wound up about this.

It’s not really about age is it? OP could be 25.

It’s just, who wants to share a room with their colleagues? I wouldn’t have done that in my 20s either.

I did that with my friends and had a great time

I didn’t do that with my colleagues, how are you linking up the two things? There is a world of difference.

Is it two to a room or a whole room of bunk beds shared?

Ironically i would find the latter easier - there is something horribly intimate about sharing a bedroom with just one other person.

If it's a hostel group room I would consider it - although the last time I did anything similar was 20 years ago! When I did it then the fact that it was a large mixed room made it impersonal.

What a deeply unenjoyable series of words- work. charity walk. sponsorship. hostel. bunkbeds.

Sack the whole thing off, no money on earth could get me to agree to such a shit day and night.

I didn't specify the OP. Just that plenty of posters here on this thread are referencing their big old age as reason for not being able to cope with this, which personally, I think is completely ludicrous.

what's the reality? do the walk, clean up, have a few drinks/meal, sleep, get ready, brekkie, do a bit more walking, go home.

what on earth is 'navigate bodily functions'. I mean fair enough if you have particular medical conditions or circumstances but that's not cited here, so it's just being precious. Snowflakes

For all those saying oh just go it’ll be “fun!” When the ONE time I agreed to share a room with a colleague they had horrendous IBS and didn’t mention it..spent pretty much the entire time in the bathroom meaning it was out of bounds for me to use, I had my period arrive early and bled through all my clothes and wasn't even able to have a shower as the colleagues 💩 stunk the entire room and basically the entire floor and meant even with a towel over my face I was inhaling her 💩 smell and I was going to be sick if I went near the bathroom 🤮🤢🤢🤮🤮

then the colleague said she couldn’t sleep without listening to her iPad on full blast - no she refused to use headphones too - she fell asleep fairly quickly but every time I tried to turn off the iPad she woke up 🤬🤬 and told me she couldn’t sleep without it on!

never again

What's the problem for one night? And what do you mean about "bodily functions"? The bathroom will not be open plan and everyone uses one, it isn't something that needs hiding.

There's no way on God's green earth I would ever share a room with work colleagues. It isn't appropriate, and they shouldn't be expecting you to do it.

I wouldn't like that either. Offer to pay the extra for a room on your own.

This for me too - no chance I’d share with anyone other than close friends or family (& that’s at a push unless DH!)

YANBU I absolutely would not want to share a room with people that I have to work with friends yeah fine but work colleagues hell no.

I think the only melt here is you for making such a daft comment...

Work colleagues are people you have a professional relationship with.

Going out for a meal or doing something social with work colleagues is fine. Expecting people to share a room is not appropriate.

@Weeksh I travelled a lot with my previous engineering job and sharing a room with a colleague was never heard of. You always had your own room. I then changed career and became a teacher. I went on a Y7 residential for 1 night, and when I got there I discovered that the female teachers got one dorm and the male teachers the other. Hell no! I don't sleep well, fidget like crazy in my sleep and often read if I can't sleep, so cannot share rooms. I lasted 2 hours in the room, couldn't stand the snoring, so went and slept in my car! (Thankfully I'd driven down as they needed a driver in case of emergencies!).

I would decline the trip and say that room sharing is not acceptable.

There’ll be others there feeling the same. Sharing puts us in a vulnerable position but it could be a good challenge to overcome, in self development sort of way, feel the fear or suchlike. If not, then yeah just say it’s not for you, it’s disappointing but you have to pull out. We’re not all made alike.

I'm not into hostels, and there's no way on Earth I'm sharing accommodation with anybody. I wouldn't go.

For a charity event it’s what I would expect. I think yabu. It’s been done for a cause not a luxury day away.

for a business meeting I could see an issue.

Oh dear, that doesn't sound like something I'd be happy about either. But I can sort of understand why if it's an outdoor type activity there's probably limited accommodation and the company isn't paying out for luxury. For one night I probably would put up with it. And accept I won't get much sleep. Ear plugs and a sleep mask. The bathrooms will have enough privacy for changing in, so the bunk room will be just for sleeping. If it's a hostel, you could call and ask if they have any private rooms and if so can you pay for your own. Or find an excuse to drop out and sponsor your colleagues a generous amount.

I could just about cope with the shared room thing but I need to pee at least twice a night- more if I am nervous about it - so I wouldn’t go in case I ended up with a top bunk as it wouldn’t be fair on the person below and I would be worried about getting up and down the ladder whilst groggy.