Working away from home.

ianianian_2

Morning,

I work in IT for a large national company and am now being asked to travel considerably or stay away from home for months on end and i'd like to know if i'm entitled to anything or whether businesses would normally compensate people in such cases.

I'm pretty sure that my contract statesthat I work out of one location. I was over qualified when I started thejob (made redundant in my last job and was desperate to get back into employment) and as soon as my current employer realisedthat I could carry out a more senior role, I was out travelling the country doing it without the payor company car that everyone else has.

Over the past few months I’ve been travelling between 2 and3 hours a day to another office on public transport working on a bid. Thisweek, we will find out if we’ve won the bid.

If we’ve won, I’ll be doing this two to three hour journeyevery day for 6 months. If we lose, it’s likely I’ll get sent somewhere muchfurther away which will involve me staying in a cheap hotel throughout theweek.

I've effectively been carrying out the shorter scenario during the bid. My role means I need to be presenting/ in workshops 9-5 and so I frequently work 10-12 hours a day including preperation/ actions and travel. Is this just a case of trying to get time in lieu/ over time? What about basics like the fact I’ve paid fora gym membership for 6 months next to my contracted office location and yet I can’tgo as I’m always away?

In the case of the longer journey – I appreciate that I mayend up in the office for 7.5 hours, but staying in a travel lodge isn’t a life. I’ll missmy family, friends etc and the activities I carry out away from the office.Would you normally get compensated for this? I’ve worked away for a couple ofweeks at a time in the past and never had anything more than evening mealexpenses, but I don’t think I earn enough to spend 6 months away from my betterhalf!

Obviously, keep in mind what many company's are like these days... I'll be diplomatic and say that they're trying to keep costs low


Thanks


Ian

hcb42

TBH many people have done that for years, including me, and never been compensated, it is just the commercial reality.

When i say i have never been compensated, i have been well looked after by prev firms that asked for that and i dont regret it but then i suspect my work life balance has always been out of kilter.

In terms of expenses etc i had fiully expensed car, co credit card, and stayed in nicer hotels, perhaps it is time to negotiate a little?

getmore4less

problem is you have let them get away with it for a time allready.

you will have to try to take control.

negotiate pay rise and better conditions.

Decent expences, car if needed, decent hotels.
flexable work planning, travel Monday, Friday longer hours Tue-Thurs etc.

if long term pay for serviced rental for 6 months, have family come up at weekends etc.

gym, you problem but you can try, best to ask if you can suspend the membership pending return.

ianianian_2

Thanks both,

Looks like i need to try and arrange company car, better expenses etc.

I've always worked long hours with the hope of showing I can do the job well and moving up, but in 'the current climate' companys seem to take advantage of that. I'll have to arrange a meeting next week based on the outcome of the bid and ask what's expected of me and then put forward better expenses, car, better hotels etc as suggested. My bosses have mentioned such things, but it seems that these things need to get signed off by everyone in the company and sit in the pipeline for months! (or that's what they tell me!).

I was chatting to someone that mentioned that he used to get expenses, plus an extra £50 for each night he had to work away - sounds like that was just in his company!

hcb42

I would say that kind f allowance has long gone in most firms, my hubby got it in 1992 for a while (£25 a night allowance) but we have both worked overseas since even without a specific deal like that. (although good all round package)

caeler

At my place (large blue chip) there are specific terms in place for overseas assignments but in the UK generally it is B&B paid + travel costs and reasonable evening meal. When I've been away for months at a time, I generally pick a reasonable hotel (tried guest house with no stars and I will never do it again!!) and stay in the same place but it does get boring. I have a colleague who negotiates a serviced flat when he's 6months+ and I can understand why, it often works out cheaper you just have to careful over any personal tax liability. Another colleague of mine found a room to rent 4 nights a week which worked out well for him.

My company try to make sure your not out of pocket on the above but won't consider any household expenses. I had a membership which I managed to suspend whilst I was away. Some Gyms are national, wouldn't it be good if you could swap between establishments!! No overtime paid in my kind of job despite my average 60 hour week but I have occasionally got some overtime if a weekend has been worked 'officially'.

I've done x2 6 months stays following contract wins, I go into mobilise them. I've put a hold on how many I do now as you are right, you miss out on life, miss your friends/family and only live to work. I'm generally also exhausted by the end and need a long holiday to recover!

Good luck on the bid!

[Deleted User]

Something you need to remember when you work in IT (esp. if it's a consultancy) - you are an asset. They require your services to generate billable income.

When i was young and fooling, i thought agreeing to work on international projects was in my interests to further my career. Big mistake. I spent 6 months 'commuting' to Dublin from London. Thankfully, we stayed at a fabulous hotel and had no cap on food expenses. No extra money for ruining my life for 6 months though. I've also done 9 months of London to Liverpool. That time, i had a family so dictated my terms (just 1 night away a week). They had the choice of taking it or finding someone else to do the work.

These days, i work from home doing very similar work, no commute, the odd stay away but very infrequently. Now earning about double what i was on back in the 'travel' days.

Anyway, I only got into this position by moving firms. 'Own' your career; if you don't like your position then look for new jobs. Simple as that. It's also the best way to get bigger payrises.

Just remember - your employer needs you to earn the money just as much as you need them to pay you a wage

ianianian_2

Thanks for the responses - really good to hear some genuine experiences.

In the past i've been trying to progress in the company, so i've beenhappy(ish) to do a bit of travelling, but it's reached the point now where ineed to see some return. I'm planning on trying to get some sort of payincrease before i agree to anything, but I’ll believe it when it happens!

As i've moved into IT from something else, I have the transferable skills,but i'm still trying to pickup specifics, so I’m not as confident in movingjobs as i would have been in the past. I do take your point and movingelsewhere to ensure I get the best conditions is something I’m considering.

Re travelling - it is amazing what some people have to do. My other half andI have moved locations together a couple of times, so we’re used to it justbeing the two of us, but I’m not sure how thrilled either of us would be on ourown. At the moment, years of pay freezes and redundancy means I’m not on thesalary I should be on and so I’m definitely not sure that the reward of me havingto work away reflects the effort.

It'd be interesting to hear from someone in the public sector with unionbacking as they don't seem to tolerate things cutting into their private lifeas much as those of us in the private sector.