Denied going to company event - same as withholding bonus?

cubegame

Good afternoon. I'm asking this question on behalf of my partner. She works for a reasonably large company who have a large multiday company outing coming up in a couple of month, where the employees are being wined, dined and entertained in nice hotels and being pampered with spa treatments etc....

However, this is happening during work hours and she has been "selected" as one of the people who will have to forego the event to stay behind and cover for others.

She will receive no alternative compensating payment or event for this.

Would this be classed as a payment-in-kind and hence be classed as being an unlawfully withheld bonus?

heretolearn_2

It completely sucks having to miss out on something like this, but I assume that she isn't the only one? the firm is still open on that day?

Hopefully the firm has a rota system so it's not the same people missing out each time.

However, I don't think you'll get very far with trying to get compensation etc. There is no illegal deduction here, as far as I can see. If this really is the equivalent of a financial bonus, well she could ask very nicely about it and see what they say. But I think to go in with an 'entitled' attitude will have the opposite effect of what she wants. If it's just the firm treating everyone to a jolly, there's no law that says they have to include everyone. Or pay everyone a bonus, come to that, unless it is in her contract (and NOT as discretionary, which most bonuses are).

Starrystarrynight

Seems really unfair that some people have to lose out. Will they not offer her some time off in lieu instead.

Googlewhacker

As long as its rotared it then is just tough luck I'm afraid.

Gordon_Hose

Surely they'll rotate the staff who get picked to stay behind?

Next year she'll get to go and someone else will have to stay behind.

It's unfortunate she got picked, but that's just life.

cubegame

It's not an annual event. Just a one off blow out. And the people who didn't go were supposedly selected by random draw.

Gordon_Hose

Then she was just unlucky. Again, that's life.

dseventy

cubegame wrote: »

Would this be classed as a payment-in-kind and hence be classed as being an unlawfully withheld bonus?

A bonus is not usually guaranteed and is discretionary based on a number of things (like company performance, individual performance etc).

D70

Jowo_2

Why is she taking it so personally when those requiring to keep the company ticking over were selected at random and it's clear that the company would have wanted to have treated everyone but can't because of operational requirements?

ohdamnit

I think the lack of transparency is a problem here. Although they say it was a random draw, I imagine that is bull , as you would have to have certain teams available to operate.

I guess OPs OH is upset because she suspects this was not a random draw, but that she and the others were chosen to stay behind by their managers (which is more likely than a random pick tbh), as this is a one off and not regular it also seems to her more unfair.

Gordon_Hose

How do you know there wasn't a random draw?

If the OP's OH had been selected to go, I suspect this thread wouldn't exist. Fact remains someone needed to stay behind, she was chosen. Unlucky. Get over it. Move on etc etc