Work Trip Dilemma

[EmmaJBas]

Hi,

I work for an overseas government.

There’s a big meeting scheduled at HQ next month. My boss advocated for me to go - great!

Catch is that it’s a 12.5hr overnight flight (Monday), straight into work (Tuesday), two full days of meetings, fly home after last meeting (Thursday).

My boss is travelling Business, me Economy.
Total journey time ~16hrs.

Struggle to sleep on flights at the best of times, will be broken and not my best self with my new colleagues and management (been here 5 months). Plus feel a bit devalued.

Proposed to fly indirect at a fraction of of the cost (in Business) but not allowed.
Choice of carrier means can’t even use my own loyalty points to upgrade.

Should I suck it up, get back in my box and feel grateful?

Thoughts welcome and don’t want to be unreasonable. Thank you.

it would make sense (or earlier), wouldn’t it… but against policy and they’re very inflexible unfortunately - will ask again. Thank you

Is there a time difference as well on top of that?

I couldn't physically do it, even flying 10/11 hours and then going straight to bed before meetings the next day leaves me a wreck these days.

I think that's really poor that your boss is business and you are economy. No way could I focus going straight into a meeting after an overnight flight.

I think if they won't compromise on the method of travel then you should be able to go a day earlier to get a sleep before the meetings.

Is there a reason why you couldn’t fly there a day earlier so you have a day to recover before the meetings start?

I do this exact schedule 4 times a year in business and it’s bloody tough and only an hour time difference on 2 of them. Throw in a time difference going east and it’s a killer

I would ask to see the business travel policy as different travel classes is diabolical. Most is based on travel hours

What is the rationale for your boss going business but you not?

Are they saying that you are not essential to the meetings, so you can only go if costs are minimised, whereas your boss has to be there?

Or is there some sort of rule that says business class entitlement depends on rank?

Would this be your first trip to the country you work for? If I understand correctly your job is something like a UK marketing manager for the tourist board of an Asian country, is that right?

Long haul economy is not as bad as Ryanair

Splitting the seats is shitty

That’s awful that he goes business and you go economy, and there is no flexibility for you to go a day earlier or take an indirect flight. Travel policies in places I have been at have been (in the distant past) business for everyone, then more recently it’s decided by length of flight, but is the same for everyone, not by ‘rank’. Even then people are allowed to go the night before to make sure they are rested.

I’d check the travel policy and ask about going the night before.

I’d ask if it’s possible to either go the night before or to sit in business class so you can sleep. I would not do well in that situation as I’m angry if I’m tired. I’m peri menopausal too and sleep is everything to me!

Maybe they do. I wouldn’t.

i fly to west coast 4-5 times per year; Middle East 2-3 per year; Asia 3-4 times per year. Sometimes I fly from Middle East to east coast.

It’s brutal when flying business or first. Flying 12.5 in business and then being expected to get off the plane and work a full day is tough, in economy it’s unacceptable.

I was always flown business for long haul. The view was economy a false economy as you arrive strung out and exhausted.

No, that’s dreadful. There should imo be no expectation for people to have to sleep on flights before going immediately to work.

No one has raised this yet but there’s been multiple news stories of women being sexually assaulted while asleep on flights - I don’t think sleeping in a room full of strangers could be considered safe. I know I as a menopausal woman wouldn’t be able to asleep for multiple reasons and definitely couldn’t perform the next next day.

Anywhere I have ever worked, the rule is less than five hour flight is economy, five hours or more is business class. I live in New Zealand so it’s a long way from anywhere and flights are usually on the longer side!

Our work policy is premium economy for over 8 hours and if you can find an indirect business flight for the same money then fine. Also we would always travel the day before. Does it have to be overnight on Monday? Is there not a flight 12 hours earlier so you at least have 12 hours before work?

I don't think this is a great opportunity to be honest. Depending on how well you function without sleep I think this is an opportunity for a whole group of people to wonder why your boss brought a zombie with him.

I'm just struggling to sympathise with being upset about a 12 hour flight when pretty much any flight I do involves getting off a 12 hour flight and straight onto a second flight of the same length. One leg, and that's it, seems blissful, even if it's economy.

You fly a lot more than we do though.

Yep, a 7hr time difference. I’m with you, it ain’t gonna be pretty 🤷‍♀️

Yep, it’s the need to go straight into long meetings, be firing on all cylinders, etc. that worries me most. Reckon I’ll have to roll up my sleeve and get stuck in 💪🏽. Thank you.

What kind of ‘high senior role’ is that? I’ve never heard of someone in a senior role, where expectations and demands are high, not flying business. I know several immediate family members with your DH’s schedule, all fly business, all earn a very sizeable income (hence why they do it, as yes, there’s no downtime or time off, regardless of travel).

I’d either say I would travel the day before or just turn it down if that’s not an option.

I wouldn’t do that. I’d insist a solution is found - either business class or your suggested alternative.

if they want you there, they need to be fair and reasonable.

Respect if you’ve done that for work. Leisure travel would be fine of course and we’ve all done it. It’s the lack of sleep + time difference in this instance then having to go straight into meetings and being at the top of my game that’s causing me think what my options are if any. Thank you.

I'd rather not share specifics but it is very senior. Some other staff members extend their time away and have a holiday at the same time (additional expense is theirs) but DH doesn't. He's also in charge of approving other people's travel. All economy.

That’s looking increasingly like what I’ll need to do regardless, thank you!

That sounds shit and a recipe for burnout.