Sharing Hotel room for work conference

TonyOR

Have a work conference coming up and the company are saying all attendees are required to share a hotel room.

Am I entitled to reuse to go if not given my own room?

Have never had to do this with any other company and think it's a very unreasonable request.

All advise welcome.

Xander10

I'd offer to pay half room cost for single occupancy.

road_high

That’s fcukin miserable- they want you to attend they should pay for single rooms. Which is the norm

TonyOR

I dont see why I should have to pay half when they want me there.

JPCN1

No way would I accept a room share for a work gig. As previous poster said that’s fckn miserable…

ahnowbrowncow

What if your colleague sleeps naked? Or if you're greeted by a raging erection when they stroll to the bathroom? Or if their towel drops and exposes them?

You wouldn't expect to put up with that in the workplace, well depending on what you work at Tony, so I don't know how or why they think it's acceptable to put their staff in that position.

Mrs OBumble

The only time I had to do that was when I worked for the government, never seen a private sector employer try shared rooms.

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730125#Comment_120730125

Really?

In the public service there is an 24hr overnight allowance, and it is typically left up to the employee where they stay.

I have gone to events, and claimed the overnight 24hr allowance a few times, in the PS, and it has never been prescribed to me where I stay.

The same goes for my friends in local authority sector or IoT sector.

Stark

Only company I knew who had that policy was IBM, tight bastards.

flanna01

Absolute ridiculous expectation from the company...

Tell them to sling their hook..

Your privacy is not for sale, or for part of a cost cutting exercise.

Your stay in the hotel is all wrote off against tax anyway. (Not that it makes one bit of blind difference)

They want you there - they pay for your upkeep - Simples!

*Do you think the Managing Director will be sharing a room with Jim the cleaner....???*

Don't be a doormat - Have some dignity about yourself.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730149#Comment_120730149

It wasn't in Ireland.

When I very first worked in government overseas 30+ years ago, there were still daily allowances like you describe. But they were abolished in favour of actual and reasonable invoiced costs, and there was an expectation that we would room-share with same gender colleagues. It worked well to cut unnecessary travel.

In the OPs case, I suspect the legal situation depends on their contract. And that a legal approach isn't the way to fix this.

TBi

I would refuse to go. It's a HR nightmare so they should really rethink this policy.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730734#Comment_120730734

HR should be able to confirm if the room mate was Gender Suitable...

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730871#Comment_120730871

"Gender suitability" isn't a thing in this day and age.

I've had a look through our dignity at work policy and it states that while every effort should be taken to minimise costs nobody should be expected to share a room but it is permissable with the consent of both parties.

3DataModem

If the conference is optional, then they can reasonably dictate terms.

If the conference is mandatory, then it's not quite so clear cut.

homah_7ft

It's a hard no from me. They can't make you so take things from there.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120731073#Comment_120731073

I disagree (or maybe I am just old) but I can imagine the mileage on the Joe Duffy show, if a young female had to share a room with an older man.

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120732353#Comment_120732353

That wasn't what I meant at all. I was referring to the complications of gender identity.

TonyOR

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120732195#Comment_120732195

Its mandatory.

Explosive_Cornflake

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120732981#Comment_120732981

There's not a chance I would go under those terms.

magicbastarder

that's a nope from me too.

is it a big company? do you have a HR department, and are they aware of this?

in the company i work for, a senior manager was ousted after deciding that when visiting certain countries, staff should stay in hostels. HR were not impressed at their initiative, trying to rewrite company policy.

artanevilla

Not a hope.

CreadanLady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120732353#Comment_120732353

Perfect recipie for Sex offence/pedo case in the company. Almost guaranteed.

AndrewJRenko

I had to do this in the past, Celtic Tiger years, working for one of the most successful FDI companies at the time (not IBM), once for one night in the UK, and once for a week in the US. I wasn't really in a position to argue, but it was fairly awful. I remember waking up at 2am to hear my roomie violently puking in the bathroom after his night out. I was dreading going into the bathroom next morning, though in fairness, he didn't leave any residue.

FishOnABike

I've never had to share a room travelling for work and not a hope in hell that I would.

I'm already losing out on personal time with travel and being away from home, not a chance the company gets to effectively dictate what I can do or not do 24 hours a day even if they were to pay me overtime rates, 24 hours a day, for the full duration of a trip.

Involuntarily sharing a room with some random person is not part of my job description.

suvigirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730149#Comment_120730149

The 24 hour allowance wouldn't get you much nowadays!

Tork

What do your colleagues think about this arrangement?

The only way I would consider this, would be if the accommodation on offer was a suite, with two separate bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms.

And at that, I would only consider it, and most likely would probably still refuse. It would depend on the hotel and who I was expected to share with.

If I was expected to share a twin room? Under no circumstances. it would be an outright refusal.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120730732#Comment_120730732

It worked well to cut unnecessary travel.

I suspect it worked well to cut necessary travel too as there is no way I'd be going anywhere under those terms.

DownByTheGarden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120732353#Comment_120732353

About 10 or maybe 15 years ago my wife was on an aer lingus flight from Spain. There were strikes and thern the crew were over their hours and they had to be put up in a hotel. She arrived at her room to find a woman already there wondering why a man was in the shower.

Turned out 3 random people had been given one room to share. 2 females and 1 male. And they werent the only ones. When they went down to reception there were others. They were told there werent enough rooms for everyone so they had to share. Half of them stayed in reception overnight istead. Dont know if this still happens today.

Tork

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120733574#Comment_120733574

If they're tight enough to be asking staff to share rooms, they're unlikely to be splashing out on suites.

OP I'd ask some colleagues what they think of the arrangement. If a lot of people are unhappy, could it be raised with your manager?