Work Travel - Sharing Rooms

Batgurl

So HR have tasked me with constructing a new corporate travel policy for my office (new country for the company, different currency, living expenses etc) and one of the biggest issues I’m facing is that they are pushing me to include a stipulation that if 2 staff are travelling together that they share a room.

I’ll be honest I’m not comfortable with this as it’s not something I’ve ever come across before but curious if it’s common or indeed the norm?

All opinions welcome? TIA

tina1040

I woyld hate to share with someone from work. I didn't mind when I was younger at a christmas party night. Certainly not when away for work. It's all too personal getting into your pjs etc.

stargazer 68

I've travelled for work and have never shared a room! My husband's company do some travelling and he's never asked them to share. The guys have shared an apartment but they were away for a month so it worked out much better than a hotel.

bertsmom

I don't have to travel with my work but there is absolutely no way I would share a room with a colleague. Under NO circumstances. I imagine that this could lead to a lot of legal issues for the company should any inappropriate behaviour occur.

Caranica

I've done it once but never again. If you need me there, accommodate me appropriately!

anewme

I arrange a lot of corporate travel and in my 10 years have never seen this. Staff in our office woukd just not tolerate it.

listermint

That request is off the wall.

And as HR you should be pushing back on it. Sounds like finance tool coming up with nonsense

Dial Hard

Business travel: room of your own. Social events: share.

That's been the protocol in every company I've ever worked for.

wally1990

As an employee I would absolutely hate the thought of having to share a room ,

As mentioned if an employee is required on a trip make sure they are accommodated properly

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

Not a hope. Separate room, business class flights.

MouseTail

It is definitely not the norm. Way back in the day working as a hotel receptionist I did come across it (very rarely). Have travelled extensively with work since, never a stipulation and I wouldn't accept it.

ArnieSilvia

This is a recipe for a lot of your staff refreshing their CV's. Sharing a house, maybe. A room??? What's next, sharing bed ? Race to the bottom at it's finest.

nlrkjos

I don't know what the regulations are in Ireland about sharing, I work abroad for the last 15 years in different countries (27) but you will have to abide by whatever labor laws are in the country you send people to, Irish rules do not apply!!! In offshore we have a system of hot-bedding, where night shift may have to use your cabin by day, you get an hour to clear your room and he/she moves in for 12 hours, we get an extra €100 per shift for the inconvenience, but this is only when very busy. Sharing a room/cabin is a no-no, unless you work in the UK sector, but conditions there are terrible. The company I work for when sending you abroad ask what are your preferences, if i travel with a friend then we may share an apartment,but never a room. Check the rules in the country....simple.

0ph0rce0

vektarman wrote: »

How would I explain to my wife that I'm sharing a room with a female colleague? I just wouldn't go on that business trip.

Or if she's good looking you could not tell the wife and bang away

Spanish Eyes

Just no.

Never did and never will. Even the thought of it is yuk.

How do they decide who you share with. What if there are more men than women and vice versa.

Forget it. Won't work.

Third_Echelon

Batgurl wrote: »

So HR have tasked me with constructing a new corporate travel policy for my office (new country for the company, different currency, living expenses etc) and one of the biggest issues I’m facing is that they are pushing me to include a stipulation that if 2 staff are travelling together that they share a room.

I’ll be honest I’m not comfortable with this as it’s not something I’ve ever come across before but curious if it’s common or indeed the norm?

All opinions welcome? TIA

Absolutely not! If you are travelling for work, you get your own room. End of story... I've never heard of a company asking people to double-up! What if it is a male and female colleague travelling together?!

I traveled for my job for the good part of 10 years across the world and if my company would have started this carry on, people would have left. It's a ridiculous notion.

As someone else mentioned, the only time I've heard of people sharing anything was a multi bedroom apartment... even then, that was optional if your colleague was also your friend. If you wanted your own, you got your own (for an extended stay).

mahamageehad

When I was very junior I was asked to share with a colleague for one night. Hated every second of it, even though we're both female and both roughly the same age. When I'm finished work, I just need a break from these people!

Never happened since, I've always had my own room. If it became policy, I would genuinely consider leaving as I travel quite a bit with work. If it's a cost saving measure, I'm happy to get a cheaper room in a cheaper hotel but that's about as much as I'd be willing to compromise.

gazzer

Civil Service departments expect staff to share rooms when away on work trips. I honestly thought it was the norm

dudara

Dial Hard wrote: »

Business travel: room of your own. Social events: share.

That's been the protocol in every company I've ever worked for.

This is the norm for me. The only only time we're ever asked to double up is if we're staying overnight for a social event type thing when there's several hundred of us in the venue. That's once a year. The rest of the time, it's always a private room

harr

One of my past employers would have sent us to Germany for training fairly regularly and the sharing of rooms was mentioned at start of contract but was quickly rebuffed by us.
We would have spent a good bit of time in the hotel because of location of the work so no way I sharing with work colleagues after being with them for a 12 hour day already.
We often did share on social nights away but on that occasion we could choose who to bunk with.
I would find it odd having to share with a work colleague to be honest.

barneystinson

gazzer wrote: »

Civil Service departments expect staff to share rooms when away on work trips. I honestly thought it was the norm

Which departments? Is that just foreign travel or domestic too? Where's the circular on that?

amtc

Absolutely not!

I travel a lot for work and that's my own time. It's enough to have to sit on a flight with them. Plus a lot of trips are with a (married) colleague who persistently tried it on with me for years.

On a Christmas party I wouldn't be too strict on it.

About 15 years ago I had to organise an away event for 400 people. Because of the size of the hotel people had to share. Someone gave me the job of organising sharing. It was a nightmare. Eventually we did it alphabetically and people organised their own swaps. Then some rooms turned into party central that night. However afterwards we had so many aĺlegations of stealing etc. There were huge insurance issues.

patspost

I heard of a big Irish company based in KK that apparently asks staff to share when traveling?
I was told this by a staff member, hard to believe in this day and age

Neyite

I've always had my own room on the odd occasion I was required off-site. Car-pooling, yes. Room sharing, no.

wench

gazzer wrote: »

Civil Service departments expect staff to share rooms when away on work trips. I honestly thought it was the norm

Why would they expect sharing, it wouldn't save any money - subsistence is a flat rate per person per night.

Kalimah

I worked for a very small Irish charity that expected staff to share a room when away, and on on occasion as they were too mean to pay for a hotel, booked an AirBnb with a double bed for the girls. Needless to say there was uproar, and the girls refused to travel. It wasn't forgotten and a few months later one of the girls was sacked with a day's notice.
The CEO couldn't understand why they wouldn't share a bed as wasn't the saved money going to the cause!
A word to you all- don't work for a charity.

gazzer

barneystinson wrote: »

Which departments? Is that just foreign travel or domestic too? Where's the circular on that?

Well I can only speak on behalf of trips around Ireland. To be honest I dont know if there is any official circular on it but we have been told as recently as last month (when on a work trip to Galway) that we had to share rooms with colleagues

gazzer

wench wrote: »

Why would they expect sharing, it wouldn't save any money - subsistence is a flat rate per person per night.

Well the hotel is often more expensive than the subsistance rate so their logic is that it stops people being out of pocket.

pilly

My son travels for work in the US and Canada and always shares with a male colleague. He doesn't mind because they're good friends but I suppose it depends on the length of stay.

I'd have no problem sharing with a female colleague for 1 or 2 nights but not any longer.

bucketybuck

I'm a grown man and a professional, not an 8 year old on a sleepover or some spotty teenager on a piss up.

Tell me I have to share and I'll tell you where you can shove your work trip.

tuisginideach

Never!

Kimbot

gazzer wrote: »

Well I can only speak on behalf of trips around Ireland. To be honest I dont know if there is any official circular on it but we have been told as recently as last month (when on a work trip to Galway) that we had to share rooms with colleagues

Ive never had this in the service at all and I have done serious travelling aorund the country for them. Each time I had my own room etc.

Anatom

I only ever had to do it once but that was because it was an emergency, last minute thing due to very bad weather and we needed to be in the nearby office incredibly early the next morning. Wasn't too bad, but wouldn't ever have been a policy.

Just tell them no.

helimachoptor

I've travelled a lot and never shared a room.

Any reputable company would not put 2 employees (or the company) in a situation like that.

Again depending on

- flights < 4 hours economy only
- Flights > 4 hours business class

We have a hotel spend restriction per city, so say Dublin is €150, London could be £140, NYC $200 dollars (not including taxes)

Breakfast,Lunch, Dinner all have limits which are pretty reasonable

We are asked to use public transport where we can, so i use the local metro's quite a bit.

If you're away for a few days some companies may offer a per diem (daily payment)

artanevilla

Work for a small company and do a lot of traveling for work. Absolutely would not share a room nor would we be expected too.
I work in an industry where living out of hotels is part and parcel. Sharing is unheard of.

wench

gazzer wrote: »

Well I can only speak on behalf of trips around Ireland. To be honest I dont know if there is any official circular on it but we have been told as recently as last month (when on a work trip to Galway) that we had to share rooms with colleagues

That sounds like a local decision by your management, it's not general policy.

TheIrishGrover

I traveled extensively with my previous company along with many others, usually to the same place. Have NEVER heard about this before and, to be honest, I wouldn't tolerate it as an employee. Very strange policy.

barry181091

helimachoptor wrote: »

I've travelled a lot and never shared a room.

Any reputable company would not put 2 employees (or the company) in a situation like that.

Again depending on

- flights < 4 hours economy only
- Flights > 4 hours business class

We have a hotel spend restriction per city, so say Dublin is €150, London could be £140, NYC $200 dollars (not including taxes)

Breakfast,Lunch, Dinner all have limits which are pretty reasonable

We are asked to use public transport where we can, so i use the local metro's quite a bit.

If you're away for a few days some companies may offer a per diem (daily payment)

The sharing of rooms is most certainly unusual.

That flight model that you propose is considerably generous though! The companies that I have worked for have either said ALL travel has to be economy or that any travel >10 hours was business.

At >4 hours I could imagine travel costs skyrocketing!

elperello

gazzer wrote: »

Well I can only speak on behalf of trips around Ireland. To be honest I dont know if there is any official circular on it but we have been told as recently as last month (when on a work trip to Galway) that we had to share rooms with colleagues

Suggest you contact union rep. for clarification.

Hercule Poirot

Just last week I was at a two day training course with colleague, we didn't share a room - and I wouldn't have gone if they had tried to make me...

walterral2017

When I was a sales rep, we would have sales meetings once every 6 weeks somewhere in midlands. We were always expected to share a room with a colleague the night before the meeting. It was a team of about 12 I think. I used to share with my female colleague (I am also female). I assumed that was normal!!! No one complained. I don't understand people's indignation? Obviously you wouldn't be asked to share male with a female but the rest would share definitely.

tuisginideach

As a female, I don't even share when I go away to a hotel on social weekends with my female friends!

Outkast_IRE

Never would even consider this . I would refuse to travel. The entire busineess class hotel model is built on the fact that companies need small rooms for one occupant usually.

If a company asked me to accept this in anything less than an emergency situation i would laugh them out of the room.

Meauldsegosha

gazzer wrote: »

Civil Service departments expect staff to share rooms when away on work trips. I honestly thought it was the norm

I've worked in three different departments over 22 years and I've never been asked to share a room. None of my colleagues have been asked either. If I was asked I would refuse.

biZrb

I've traveled a lot for work and never been asked to share a room, its just not the done thing for the company I work for. But its a large corporate company so they shouldn't even suggest it. If I was asked to share, I'd refuse to go.
Theres an all employee event next month where there'll be meetings, a dinner and some social stuff going on. Everyone is staying at the same hotel and will have their own rooms.

I have a friend who works in the media industry and organises video and photo shoots for brands. She's also responsible for the budget of the shoots so she often shares a room with a colleague for budget reasons.

Ursus Horribilis

gazzer wrote: »

Well I can only speak on behalf of trips around Ireland. To be honest I dont know if there is any official circular on it but we have been told as recently as last month (when on a work trip to Galway) that we had to share rooms with colleagues

This sounds very fishy and is a HR department making up its own rules. Are they even paying you the standard overnight rate?
https://www.revenue.ie/en/employing-people/employee-expenses/travel-and-subsistence/civil-service-rates.aspx

helimachoptor

barry181091 wrote: »

The sharing of rooms is most certainly unusual.

That flight model that you propose is considerably generous though! The companies that I have worked for have either said ALL travel has to be economy or that any travel >10 hours was business.

At >4 hours I could imagine travel costs skyrocketing!

Our business 95% of flights are sub 4 hours, however it for whatever reason that % decreased, i think we'd see the 4 hours become 6 or 8.

gazzer

Meauldsegosha wrote: »

I've worked in three different departments over 22 years and I've never been asked to share a room. None of my colleagues have been asked either. If I was asked I would refuse.

Well it definitely happens in the department I am in.

gazzer

Ursus Horribilis wrote: »

This sounds very fishy and is a HR department making up its own rules. Are they even paying you the standard overnight rate?
https://www.revenue.ie/en/employing-people/employee-expenses/travel-and-subsistence/civil-service-rates.aspx

Yeah from reading other comments on here it certainly sounds like it is a local decision. Bascially what happened last time is that he hotel was 180 euro so because the overnight rate is just under €140 two people are asked to share a room. One overnight claim is made and 2 10 hour claims are made.

wench

gazzer wrote: »

Yeah from reading other comments on here it certainly sounds like it is a local decision. Bascially what happened last time is that he hotel was 180 euro so because the overnight rate is just under €140 two people are asked to share a room. One overnight claim is made and 2 10 hour claims are made.

But that still doesn't cover it, so is the remaining €20 taken out of the 10 hour claims leaving you only €13 each to feed yourselves?

Ursus Horribilis

The overnight rate is supposed to cover your overnight accommodation and food the next day. And who's booking the room? Normally it's up to the person making the trip to sort their own accommodation.