AIBU to question conference/ business trips/ luxuries of business spending during a serious financial crisis?

[CoffeeMumForever]

I am confused how businesses and also areas of the public sector still spend so much money on conferences/ business trips with all the perks, staff privileges, parties. If this crisis is as bad as the powers make it out to be, how is this happening?

There are different budgets set aside. It’s why operating a business is complex and so many people are employed in roles which aren’t simply frontline getting work done. Poor morale is costly, in all kinds of ways. Good employers know that employee morale and wellbeing is important in obtaining and retaining a workforce, hence staff celebrations and rewards, and that anybody who has to travel or attend conferences for business is soon going to start looking elsewhere if the experience is unpleasant for them.

The public sector generally doesn’t offer jollies unless you’re a politician of course.

What public sector trips, perks and parties have you seen?

Because I work for the public sector and I don't even get milk or tea bags supplied.

There are still plenty of businesses making money and plenty of people spending money. And perhaps it’s not actually as bad a “they” say.

That's a very widely-drawn statement. Face to face interaction with one's colleagues, peers and experts from around the UK or the world can be helpful to productivity, morale, learning and development, relationship-building.

Each organisation will make its pwn cost-benefit analysis and consider its overall organisational priorities. So public sector will likely have less to spend on such activities and has always had to cut its cloth accordingly, while a thriving, growing sector (private) may have much more money to splash around on staff training and perks. Some organisations are local, while others are genuinely global etc.

But that implies that it’s only the people in the higher positions who get the benefits? Do you think business trips are essential to morale then? So people actually enjoy them yet moan about them to look ‘so busy and in demand’

I work in the public sector. I've never experienced a single jolly- everything social is paid for by the staff themselves. I'm still feeling pretty chuffed that we get tea bags in my current dept as in the last one you had to bring your own 😂

When I was in private practice, the thinking was paying for a few free drinks etc was a very good value way to maintain staff morale. The costs of having to recruit new staff or deal with under-performance far outweigh a few bottles of wine.

People don't go on business trips for morale. The trips serve a business purpose. The morale point is about not making those trips so unpleasant that you end up damaging performance and retention.

Business trips are for carrying out business. If you’re one of the employees who has a role which involves business trips, your morale is pretty important - I travel with work and a decent hotel and some perks make the experience of being away more bearable.

What crisis are you talking about? Public sector has stretched budgets but that’s been true for sixteen years. Most private sector businesses have no crisis and many of them are booming, as the GDP figures demonstrate.

Yup! No parties, biscuits, even travel expenses are complex and difficult to claim.

We do have a regional conference but that’s essential to the job and nothing fancy

We have a Christmas meal that we organise and pay for!

We don't actually have teaspoons even in my office

Can you give a specific example of what you were talking about? Your initial post is very vague and lumps business travel and staff privileges into the same sentence. Business travel is not a privilege usually, it’s a necessity. Once upon a time it might have been seen as some kind of luxury experience, but nowadays most companies have cut budgets to the bone so people are travelling overnight in economy and expected to do a full day’s work the next day or travelling with a low-cost airline and staying in a Premier Inn type of hotel. That’s been my experience recently. There is nothing glamorous or exciting about it.

Believe me that business travel is not a perk. At least not for me. It is early starts and late nights home and constantly being on.

Obviously a high trust environment…!

I'm public sector and do get free teabags. But we no longer get lunch on one-day courses (my organisation used to push the boat out with M&S sandwich platters). We do have tampons provided in the staff loos though it's too late for that to benefit me...

We've been told there are definitely redundancies coming if that makes the OP feel better

I don’t work in the public sector but know plenty who do. I don’t think they even get a free cup of tea: need to bring their own tea bag’s to work.

the private sector? That’s their business

Ah yes, the excess of the public sector. Only last week I tripped over platter after platter of free lunches, biscuits and the remnants of a good old fashioned office piss up.

Actually, that's not true. There wasn't even any washing up liquid and the hot water heater is broke so I had to go to another floor to make a brew. We're not allowed a kettle.

@CoffeeMumForever are you just jealous cause someone you know got to go on a business trip?

They tend to all be sound company decisions with lots of data to back it up.

If you can keep your employees happier with £3k of perks, it’s better for the bottom line than needing to pay them £5k more in a bonus or spend ££££ replacing them.

My current role - in which almost everyone works remotely - involves several annual staff retreats. It costs a fortune, but the best ideas we get come from getting together in person, and productivity skyrockets. We have a healthy budget to attend conferences per person (as did my last role) and a huge amount of referrals when we need new people come from the networking our teams do - not to mention the fact most people return from conferences feeling inspired, and with fresh new ideas for their work. Companies ultimately benefit from this.

My DS gets flown business class if he has to travel long distances, but he then has to drive two hours when he gets there, and go straight into meetings, so it’s to enable him to get some sleep. A lot of business is confidential and in-person relationships are important. It may comfort the OP to know that often, when coming back, he loses a lot of his weekend to travelling, and is not paid any extra for it, or given time in lieu.

We aren’t allowed to do any of this anymore. If I want to attend a conference, I have to pay for it myself. I can’t remember the last time I had legit work travel reimbursed. Pre-COVID probably? I’m an academic.

On the other hand, Dh and I have a small business. Usually twice a year, we treat all staff to a night away. An activity of some sort during the day, nice dinner out, drinks, taxis, hotel, breakfast the next day and all travel there and back. They work hard and it’s good for business for employees to know they are looked after and treated well.

My employer doesn’t give a shit if I’m treated well. 😂 There are about 100 qualified people to every job out there. If I pack it in, I’m replaceable. No one cares to buy me dinner!

I travel periodically on business, I'm in a premier inn, flying easyjet and capped subsistence allowance for meals and I can assure you there are no luxuries! (and I'd rather be at home!)

I work in the public sector and other than free teabags and instant coffee we get nothing else. If I accept any invites to a conference I have to declare it first, the value has low (less than £25 iirc) and I cannot have any alcohol or gifts. So yeah. So not much of that going on here

So your premise is that businesses shouldn't do marketing and business development, @CoffeeMumForever ?

I hope you don't run a business.