Away with work - room arrangements

[ElTortilla]

I'm away soon with work. I have a question though. If you've been away for a conference, have you ever been expected to share a room with a colleague?

25 years ago in the very first few weeks of my first proper job, another very junior person and I were invited on an overseas all expenses paid social jaunt if we were happy to share a room. It took us about 10 seconds to say yes!
Otherwise, always has my own room except for one trip where I was checking in and realised that the hotel had assumed that me and my colleague with the same surname were married and so had put us in the same room! Fortunately, they had a spare and one of us could have that room,

At my company we’re always expected to share. Some people are really up for it but I hate it! We often book Airbnb type places and if I’m down to share a room I’ll sleep on the sofa instead. If you refuse to share you’re generally cut from the trip.

On the annual ski trip - yes (same sex). Anything else - no

There is no way on earth I would share a bedroom with a colleague. I have hardly ever been asked - just a couple of times when rooms were available /required for out of town Christmas parties and I just skipped the event.

General business No, never.
Global Company off sites- yes almost always. This is because there are literally thousands of people attending though

No, never. I used to do a lot of travelling for work and spent way too much time in hotels but I always had my own room.

We always shared but it was an NHS teaching conference and funded from charitable donations so slightly different

Thanks for your replies. It's a male colleague I'm travelling with. I really like him but I never want him to see me in my jarmies without my bra on. Plus I snore. Loudly.

At our conferences we are expected to share, I don’t go to any that require an overnight stay now.

Yes, quite recently.

Expecting you to share with a male colleague is even more inappropriate. It would be bad enough if they expected you to share with a woman.

I think you’ll be fine OP I cannot imagine any company would require opposite sex colleagues to share. At least I hope not! He probably doesn’t want you to see his morning wood either!

I wouldn’t travel for work if I had to share a room.

I can’t imagine many companies would enforced shared rooms. I would imagine non would if it was a male and a female travelling.

As a phd and post doc, yes, but not since and never working for a company. I wouldn't go if I had to share now. I don't care enough about conferences anymore!

No. I travelled a lot for work. Absolutely no way would anyone be expected to share with the opposite sex, even on work sites or staff houses. It has the potential to open the company up to being sued.

So don’t worry op, you will have your own room.

I know that men offshore sometime have to sleep 3 to a cabin, that must be awful

The only time I was to,d to share was when I was working in Poland 25 years ago. That was the norm for them then.
But it was female together only, no way they’d have had two colleagues in the room if they were make/female.
And the rule quickly changed for me when I looked at them with huge surprise ‘are you sure?!?’

I haven’t travelled for a company otherwise where colleagues were expected to share. Completely unheard off.

omg no and I have worked for some extremely cash strapped organisations. Shitty rooms (Birmingham Ibis I'm looking at you) but at least no sharing.

No
I would refuse anyway

I was working at the head office of a large well known retail company.

We had to go abroad to visit a partner location let's say, and an event was happening at the same time.

Not only were we made to be in twin rooms with another colleague (and having no say in who it was), the bathroom & shower area actually had a transparent window panel as well!

Thankfully never happened in any other jobs since but I found it extremely uncomfortable! But I am also ND and like my own space and didn't really feel like I could relax at all.

They tried once. I refused. When they pressed I pointed out that the one male employee would have a single. So I was having one.

Yes, globally renowned company, about 7 years ago. Such was the pushback after the event, they've vowed never to do it again. It was a question of room capacity (IE, enough rooms in total for participants) rather than budget.

No but I was good friends with a colleague and we used to share two-bedroom flats. It was fine until it wasn't. I wouldn't do that again - hotels or single occupancy apartments always now.

I don't think you can be compelled to share.

That's awful! The stuff of nightmares. I'm also ND and my own space is my sanctuary.

I was once sent on a 3 weeks long training course. Late seventies I think. Stayed in a B&B. No hotels in those days for junior staff. I had to share a room with another girl. I didn't know her or her me. We worked in different parts of the country but our training school was in the city. It was OK and she actually got me hooked on All creatures Great and Small. Wouldn't want to do that now. I really like my own space