work travel - own time?

halia

hi all, I'd appreciate some other points of view here after a tense 'discussion' with my partner.
DH works for a large company with offices around the UK, however like all of his colleagues he is based at one office and was recruitd to work there not on a 'company wide basis'. Since he has moved up the company tree he has been required to travel more often and accepts this as a requirement of the job, however its really starting to P*** me off. Its not the travel its the fact that he does it often in his own time.

For example, his office is 30 minutes away from home. That commute he signed up for and is part of normal getting to work. However if he is needed at office Y which is 1hr 10mins away he will just set off earlier so doing that extra travelling in his own time. In some cases that means going to office z which is 3 hrs away!

So basically that means that every time he goes to another office the company is getting 1-5 hours of his time for free.

This happens at least once a week and sometimes up to 4 times a week.

On top of that he seems to have no control over his workload, so if the company want him in office Z on a monday morning for 9am he can't/won't turn round and say - that means travelling down on sunday evening in my own time and I won't do that cos it messes up my family time. His dairy gets changed on a daily basis by other people who overbook meetings and send him from office z to office Y to office X all in one day without factoring travel.

He frequently travels 1-3 hrs for a meeting only to have other people not turn up.

It just feels like they are exploiting him and quite frankly I feel he is being a bit of a wuss. He is now in senior management and my own view is that no-one will take you seriuosly if you are always running around and saying Yes to everything other people want.

And it means that our family / personal time always seems to come a poor second.

Today is an example, he was suppoused to take the day as annual leave - but only booked half a day because of a meeting someone arranged last thing on friday. Then I was told last night that the meeting was now at office Z and so instead of a morning relaxing and having coffee together he would have to leave at 9.15am in order to get to this meeting in time.

How can I make this work better? he has been told twice by his GP that he needs to take some time off because he is badly stressed and its affecting his health. But he just keeps telling me that he can't take time off.

Any

If he is in senior management, it's all kind of expected by employer that as you take high wage, you also take on long hours. I am not saying it's right, I am saying that it's the view of many bosses.
The chances are, that the fact that he is so reliable for his bosses actually got him where he is now.
As for cancelling his day off today - are you sure you know the importance of that meeting? Surely he could have said no, but as he is willing to go there he might know that this meeting is extremely important.

Is he moaning about all this as well? Or does he do it gladly and it's just you who is p****d off?

freakyogre

Hmm, I might be the only one but i'd say that was part and parcel of being promoted!

In my previous job I was based at one location but then I was promoted and as part of that role I was expected to travel to various locations across the region (and sometimes out of it). In order to get there by 9am (like everyone else) I sometimes had to leave home as early as 4am for meetings! Most locations weren't that far away, but I was often travelling from Devon to Wales and unless it was agreed I could arrive later, I tried my hardest to be there by 9am.

Can he possibly ask if he can get there a bit later? I can't really think of any other suggestions as it seems to be part of the job.

Any

I have to say my husband also travels for meeting all the time. Sometimes leaves house about 5am.

But then when he doesn't have to go meetings he can work from home - he gets more done at home anyway, as he is not bothered by staff all the time.

It's part of his job and he loves it (even though I eat by myself sometimes... )

seadee

Just because he has been promoted it doesn't mean the company can take the p!ss.

Is he supposed to work fixed hours or is his work task based?

Your scenario of Sunday travel and overnight for me would mean that I did whatever had to be done on the Monday and then go home. The earlier the better.
I assume his employer pays for the overnight accommodation.
I spent some time looking after offices 3 days a week, well away from my regular place of work. It was at least 3 hours door to door as opposed to 15 minutes for my regular place

I would aim to get to them by between 1030 and 1100 on the first day and I would leave just after lunch on the last day. I would arrange meetings to fit in with my travel arrangements and on the odd occasion that meetings had to start early then I would get there the night before. This was the exception not the rule.

He needs to get his diary managed properly.

Stress can be a very bad thing and he is doing himself, his company and his family no good whatsoever by continuing to work this way

olias

I would agree to a point, that this is part and parcel of a senior management position and the salary that presumably this gives.

I would say, however, that your husband should speak to whoever manages his diary, and state that they must take into account travelling etc when booking appointments/meetings. That, I feel, is in the interests of the company as well as him and shows that he has a keen interest in the effective management of his time. The company don't presumably want him turning up late/flustered to a meeting when more effective management of his diary would avoid this.

I have worked in minimum wage jobs, where on occasion, I have had to leave for work up to an hour early when the particular place I was working that day was some distance away.

Olias

Charlton_Taz

Sorry to say this is often the norm when its comes to more senior jobs. I don't even have a particular senior job but sometimes have to travel overseas in my own time i.e. fly out one evening, work all next day, fly back next evening. Then my OH who works in an audit practice (not even a manager) is currently having to do 2.5 hours each way at the moment (they won't even pay for overnight accommodation) to where they have sent him to work.

Unfortunately in some jobs it is expected that you dedicate whatever time is necessary to do that job. Generalising slightly, but as it is generally 'better-paid' jobs that come with that level of intrusion into your personal life you have to weigh up what is more important money or family time?

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

What is your OH's salary?

Prudent

I am just curious about what level of salary people think would be recompense for these hours? It seems that the OP's husband would need to be on a very good wage for this still be to a decent wage if broken down into an hourly rate.

seadee

Prudent wrote: »

I am just curious about what level of salary people think would be recompense for these hours? It seems that the OP's husband would need to be on a very good wage for this still be to a decent wage if broken down into an hourly rate.

Exactly.
There has to be a balance of salary and quality of life.
A company can not just throw money at its staff and ask them to work all the hours they see fit.

What he OP's OH is paid is largely irrelevant, how he is treated is what is important

bristol_pilot

This is normal for most professional level jobs, not just the most senior managers. Above about £40k I would say, but a lot depends on which industry it is. By the way, the last thing one needs in a position like this is a partner back home moaning about one's working hours.