sharing a room with an unknown colleague on a business trip-acceptable??

[silvermum]

How would you feel if your boss expected you to share a room on a business trip with a colleague you know by sight and have perhaps exchanged a few words with over the years but otherwise don't know at all?
I work for a multi national company, in a seniorish position. I have to attend two conferences in October, stretching over two weeks (with a few nights at home in between.)
This is part of my job, and always has been, but this year, for the first time - and with no apology or warning - they expect me to share a hotel room with a (female)stranger.
I feel angry and humiliated. I've raised it with the managing editor, who (irrelevantly) pointed out that I didn't attend the conferences last year. That's because i had a six week old baby ! I have always had a good relationship with the bosses and recently asked for - and got- a decent payrise. Shared experiences/advice, anyone? AIBU?

Totally not acceptable. IMO you should not expect less when workng away than you have at home. This is my rule and I stick to it avidly

This basically means a room on my own and a double bed

Bloody ridiculous - tell them to get a proper budget if they want their employees to stay away from home

I used to work for a high street bank and we were expected to share rooms when we went on training courses. We didn't decide - we said whether we smoked or not and they knew whether we were male/female and rooms were allocated.

We stayed in accommodation that belonged to the bank and in national hotels.

I was only in my early 20s at the time but the courses I went on could have included people of all ages.

the company DH works for asked them to share at the last away conference (telecoms industry). They got round it by putting their own names twice on each booking.

so Mr Smith and Mr Smith were in a twin IYSWIM.

NOT ACCEPTABLE!

Oh for goodness sake - read my post earlier and quote this as a reason why this should not happen

Are you a grown up or not???
Are you on a school trip???

Bloody ridiculous

Tell them no

PMSL - all these people saying "not acceptable" have clearly never worked for US organisations.

this is the norm for US organisations for kickoffs, conferences and the like.

Yes it's hideous but it is widespread practice and most US colleagues I have spoken to don't have a problem with it and don't really understand why Europeans do.

with two or perhaps three exceptions, all 50 or so responses to this post think it's absolutely ridiculous to be asked to share with a stranger. i am now confident i'm not being remotely unreasonable! no idea how this is going to end, but perhaps with me booking my own hotel and getting the money back. i'm pretty sure i won't be backing down.
i would have thought this was okay in dire circumstances (eg if i was being sent to a war zone) or if this was some kind of jolly, but it is not. it's the most serious annual event in my professional calendar and i will be expected to produce results big time. hardly likely on no sleep!

And when you say no, definitely try to stick to SilkCut type points - ie its not about your insomnia problem, it's about the company's problem in behaving properly to staff. And it is not a favour to you when you get your own room, which I bet you will, it's nothing less than you deserve.

Flippin' cheek!

Are you presenting at this conference? Most events that I have been to involving room sharing have had exceptions for line managers ( - never got that one) and presenters.

I used to travel loads on business and never shared a room. Totally unacceptable.

absolutely not ..

respond to your boss' response of 'see what I can do' with an " as you will appreciate it is totally unacceptable to be asked to share a room with a stranger and I look forward to your confirmation that separate rooms will be provided"

Stealthsquiggle - I work for a US company, and its certainly not done in ours, or in the several other companies in our sector that I know the staff well enough to talk to.

In what seems like a previous life I travelled a lot with work. I had to share a couple of times when I was more junior. But not as time went on. I think the most relevant point is that its not one of those "team building/reward the staff with some fun" events as you say "it's the most serious annual event in my professional calendar and i will be expected to produce results big time. hardly likely on no sleep". If you really are having to work hard then you need to demand your own space for whatever downtime you get.

DH 'lives' away mon-fri along with 5 colleagues. When they first started current project DH and his equal colleague (both senior) were told they'd have to share a flat! They all said they would not commence the project if that happened.

SOme times the lads working share to save money as they can claim a certain amount on expenses without receipt. Sometimes if in an out of nowhere place,they make money doing it. DH never has, except once with cock up from hotel and his colleague had to stay in his room. He hated it. The other bloke snored and farted all night. > he was not happy...

SO YABU... oh, sorry, not in that section!! well, you're not! Put foot down. Do not let them.

really cmotdibbler? Maybe just the IT industry then. I am not talking the 15 people attending an industry conference here - but internal global kickoff events for 3000+ employees of the same company.

Clearly I've been had

That said, it is fairly academic as between cost-cutting and DC I never get to go anywhere any more anyway .

i'm a political journalist attending party political conferences. (Labour and Tory.) I will be expected to produce - either by myself or with one other colleague -front page material for a major national newspaper, immediately before and immediately after the events.
It's a lot of pressure and a lot of responsibility. that's why i want privacy to sleep properly, so i can do the job they expect. i don't have any airs and graces - happy to muck in doing whatever. but this crosses a line.

no way. I would not expect to do this. Different if it was someone you were great chms with, otherwise I think you are well within your rights to say you will not do it. It is irrelevant that you didn't attend last year, even if you had a cold it si irrelevant.

Message withdrawn

Normal business trips, we never share rooms. But for big events, we sometimes do. Officially, because there aren't enough rooms in the same hotel for everyone otherwise. Unofficially, I reckon they do it to minimise illicit booze-fuelled liaisons. I don't like sharing because of the embarrassment of snoring/farting but it's at most once a year, usually with someone I know, and usually too pissed to care when it comes to bedtime.

Yay, not even in the lowest budget tv shows i've worked on a runner has shared a room with anyone.

Just say like WInehouse sings....NO NO NO.....

(quick hijack: do you live in Barcelona, Barcelonababe?)

I work for large corp - they do this too - I don't find it acceptable personally and have never actually gone through with it myself - so I do know how you feel.

spill KerryMum

I would sleep in travel lodge before I would share.