Am I being unreasonable? Travelling for work

dulpit · 19-03-2015 1:52pm #1

Hey all. Just want to get other people's opinion on something. I am travelling with work next week for a training course, getting a train at 15:30 on Sunday afternoon, I will return home the following Friday at about 23:00. I figured that seen as I am away from home for nearly a full week, and have to lose most of a weekend day too, that I would ask for a day off the following week in lieu of this, I was told no.

I am a salaried employee, so I understand that I may need to do extra hours/etc with no additional payment (we have never received overtime pay ever). But I think this is work being particularly unfair, is it?

useless · 19-03-2015 1:59pm

Id have thought it was pretty standard to expect employees to travel on their own time, particularly if it's a once-off situation. Any of the MNCs (US and European) I've worked for would usually offer the option of travelling very early on Monday (630/700 flights) if it was available, but if not you'd be expected to travel Sunday evening.
OTOH, I know some people working for an education quango who only travel within their 9-5 working hours and would never entertain travelling (or working for that matter) on a weekend.

Lucena · 19-03-2015 2:04pm

I don't know if it makes any difference, but is it training that you've requested or is it training that the company is making you do?

doopa · 19-03-2015 2:09pm

Pretty standard in my experience. I wouldn't expect any time off in lieu.

Nody · 19-03-2015 2:14pm

Same as the others OP; if I need to travel over a weekend to make the meeting then it's expected basically as it comes with the position.

Danjamin1 · 19-03-2015 2:39pm

Part & parcel of travelling for work unfortunately. Nothing to be done about it.

matrim · 19-03-2015 3:06pm

I'm going to take a slightly different view to everyone else and say that whenever I've had to travel for work, if they insist I travel on a Sunday I insist of a day in lieu.

For the friday, I probably wouldn't because you're just getting back late but for a Sunday I'd expect something in return.

godtabh · 19-03-2015 3:15pm

If its a once of let it go. They are providing training which is of benefit to them and you.

If its regular then you arent being unreasonable.

Tombo2001 · 19-03-2015 3:20pm

Its an interesting and fair question to ask.

I had a job once where, it was never mentioned in the interview, but bringing clients out boozing was a big part of the job. I didn't like it at all and left fairly quickly.

In this case, its a once off and I personally would let it go.

padraig.od · 19-03-2015 3:23pm

Asking you to travel on Sunday is a bit cheeky. At least they should do is give you a 1/2 day off in lieu.

GenGenie · 19-03-2015 3:30pm

I do a bit of travelling for work , if my weekend is impacted, I always insist that I get time off in lieu - I feel its only fair. Its not like you are travelling by choice!

witchgirl26 · 19-03-2015 4:45pm

I travel a bit for work & sometimes am obliged to go on a Sunday/arrive home on a Sat. I've never asked for a day off nor do I expect it. Sometimes we're allowed to travel a day earlier if we want to sight-see etc so there's some give & take so I see it like that.

KeithTS · 19-03-2015 4:53pm

I wouldn't complain about having to travel on a Sunday. It is what it is, if it's every week I could understand it but as a once off I think you'd be quite petty to ask for time off for it.

If you're an hourly paid employee that's different. I'm on a salary and I get paid to do a job, if that includes working late or a weekend then it has to be done. On the plus side if I'm sick I get paid.......perhaps pull a sickie one day and take your day in lieu, bad form but who would ever know!

PhoenixParker · 19-03-2015 5:01pm

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect time off for travelling on the Sunday, but I'd expect a few hours not a full extra days holidays, and I'd take it more as a quid pro quo than formally, i.e. I've been flexible with them by working on a Sunday, so they can be flexible later and ignore when I left early to catch a flight or came in a little late due to waiting for a delivery man in the morning.

Also if you've been out of the office on a training course for a week, unless your job is really unusual, you'll have a lot of catching up to do when you get back so I wouldn't expect to be able to take the day in lieu right away.

mitresize5 · 19-03-2015 5:47pm

If its not very regular then its ok ....... if it more than a handful of times then I'd expect/demand time in lieu.

seamus · 19-03-2015 5:58pm

There's a mileage rule that time spent travelling between "home" and "work" is not claimable, but time spent travelling between "work" and "work", is.

In other words, if you drive from home to a client site, you can't claim mileage. If you drive from home to your office and then to the client site, you can claim mileage between the office and the client site.

You can see how this is relevant in the context of the question. You may be away from home, but aside from the time spent in training, you're not actually working. You don't get compensated by your employer for not being at home, you get compensated for being at work. Sitting in a hotel room watching foreign porn and eating room service can't be considered "work", even if you would prefer to be at home.

But it's complicated. I've never worked in any place that allowed time in lieu for time spent travelling overseas, however jobs that include a lot of travelling typically include a specific allowance/bonus for it.

You are entitled to be compensated by the company for any essential costs incurred while travelling which would fall outside the normal costs you would incur day-to-day. So most meals (because you'll have to eat out), cost of trains, planes, parking & hotels.

mitresize5 · 19-03-2015 6:18pm

seamus wrote: »

In other words, if you drive from home to a client site, you can't claim mileage. If you drive from home to your office and then to the client site, you can claim mileage between the office and the client site.

.

that's wrong - if you are driving to a client the mileage you use if fro your normal place of work to the client site, it doesn't matter where you start from.

suchafunkymonke · 19-03-2015 6:22pm

I travel fairly often with work in the company I am in now and at my last two companies.

All of them have allowed time off when traveling during personal hours, but it was at their discretion. There is no "typical" offer from a company but the justification that just because your a salaried employee then you must give up your personal time to travel is rubbish.

If the training is for your benefit, then maybe you should put up with it, but perhaps you should look for an employer that treats you as a person and not a commodity.

Optimalprimerib · 19-03-2015 6:27pm

In my job its marked as time in lieu as I think it should. It is taking one of your free days away from you.

That said travelling is quite a large part of the role

b34mer23 · 19-03-2015 6:54pm

In my last job there was nothing like that, you traveled when you had to that was it really.

Current role, you do get time in lieu for travelling on weekends etc, so I say it's all about company policy really.

Personally I think it's fair to ask but unless you can prove they've given the time to someone else I'd say they're in a strong enough position to say no.

Bob24 · 19-03-2015 7:00pm

godtabh wrote: »

If its a once of let it go. They are providing training which is of benefit to them and you.

If its regular then you arent being unreasonable.

Same here.

Also is the training something you are uninterested in and forced to attend or something that you think is good for you.

If it is a once off and is beneficial to you, as your manager I would find you a bit over-demanding to request time in lieu on top of the fact that the company is sponsoring (with time and money) something that is beneficial to your career.

cml387 · 19-03-2015 7:38pm

It's down to company policy.
In our place at one time you were not given a day in lieu if you travelled on a weekend. Then the policy was changed and you were allowed a day or two if you travelled Sunday or Saturday.

shamrock55 · 19-03-2015 7:43pm

I have never read the word in lieu so much in my life:D

Stheno · 19-03-2015 7:55pm

Op do you have to take a train or can you drive instead?

tmh106 · 19-03-2015 8:15pm

I work for a US multinational, and it's pretty much expected that you travel Sunday/Saturdays as necessary for trans-Atlantic travel. For European travel, you usually get away with same day travel, though it may mean early departure and late arrival home.

I'm OK with it, and most people are in my experience. Sometimes I might stay over a weekend, fly back Sunday night, get in early Sunday morning. If that happens I just skip work on Monday, and that's accepted.

The company I work for allow a lot of flexibility around start/finish time for work and being able to pop out during the day for a few hours if you need to do something in town, so to me the travel arrangements and flexible hours amount to reasonable give and take on both sides.

tmh

pow wow · 19-03-2015 8:37pm

If travelling on a weekend we give the travel hours back (eg if the train journey is 3 hours then you accrue 3 hours time off in lieu). Our regular operations hours are strictly 9-5 Monday through Friday so it would be considered completely off grid to do anything work related on a weekend, hence being compensated with the hours back. We'd also give the hours between 5pm and your return time of 11pm so those 6 hours plus whatever the travel hours are on the Sunday.

We'd decide when you got the hours back though, subject to business needs and whatnot. Seems like it varies by industry.

Wabbit Ears · 19-03-2015 8:58pm

When travelling outside of working hours the main perk is expenses. Booked seats on trains flights etc. Have a nice dinner. Chill out in the hotel. What's not to like? TIL is a rarity.

Dog of Tears · 19-03-2015 9:07pm

I've often travelled up somewhere on a Sunday because I had an early meeting on Monday morning, or gotten back late on a Friday from work.

It's something you have to take on the chin.

Wouldn't dream of looking for time off in lieu of this.

Teyla Emmagan · 19-03-2015 9:08pm

Can you get a train at the crack of dawn on the Monday? You don't seem to be going abroad from what I gather.

The answer anyway is that they're not being unreasonable, that's how it is in most places. And if the training is in your favour I would suck it up. I have had to spend a fortune putting the cat in cat camp etc for a week away, and missing out on things I have paid for (concerts, courses, gym even). You can't do much.

Boskowski · 19-03-2015 9:21pm

I'd recommend looking into your companies travel policies to establish the facts first.

But regardless of what you'll find there I think as a matter of principle you should get time in lieu when on company business 'in your own time'. Whether you'll be travelling for training or any other company business doesn't make a difference. Employers shouldn't expect to get time for free.

However, in your case I wouldn't make a fuzz over it. There isn't a full missed day involved. Different maybe if you were only returning on Saturday afternoon or if you were flying out Sunday morning or Saturday even. As a once off in the context that it's in I wouldn't be asking for time in lieu here and I don't think your employer would be too thrilled if there was any kind of argument over it.

d9oiu2wk07blr5 · 19-03-2015 9:58pm

The thing to consider here is if the OP is traveling to his/her usual place of employment, and if traveling is not considered a normal part of their job, then traveling to places that are not their usual place of employment is looked on as working hours. The time that is spent on work related training is also counted as working hours.

Am I being unreasonable? Travelling for work

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