Are employers legally bound to pay for your travel expenses after a Xmas meal/party ?

Meadows

hilda1 wrote: »

My previous employer would always pay for travel home (for me normally a shared taxi) after a Xmas party/dinner.
My new employer has just advised of this year's Xmas dinner and party. However, they haven't mentioned paying for travel to home after the event.
Could someone please advise me whether they are legally obliged to pay for travel home after the event.

Errr NO, you just happened to have a thoughtful employer before!

Intoodeep

Not wishing too gloat too much but...........
at our place, at Xmas we get...........

2 weeks holiday
Christmas do, Including, 5 course meal, paid for attending (5 hours @ o/t)
Bus to and from 'do', obviously 'free' bar and also usually a decent annual bonus

:j:beer::j:beer::j:beer:

C_Mababejive

Intoodeep wrote: »

Not wishing too gloat too much but...........
at our place, at Xmas we get...........

2 weeks holiday
Christmas do, Including, 5 course meal, paid for attending (5 hours @ o/t)
Bus to and from 'do', obviously 'free' bar and also usually a decent annual bonus

:j:beer::j:beer::j:beer:

Well done. What was the operating profit of your company last year and how many work there?

MissSarah1972

C_Mababejive wrote: »

The idea of having a compulsory Christmas do is quite bizarre !

It can be if it's in work time - like going out for lunch that may last the whole afternoon

purplepardalis

Talking of litigious - my taxi ride home was when I worked at a law firm!

It was also held at Claridges, was black tie, 3 courses, free booze all night including Laurent Perrier and whiskey to finish. They had plenty of money :-)

But most companies I've worked for have not paid for travel all the way home.

However, I have also heard of the 'duty of care' thing as well. As a work party is an extension of the work place. Mind you, I'm sure there have been a number of injuries post party that companies were never sued for

KiKi

C_Mababejive wrote: »

In these litigeous times,i wonder if one could construct an argument that if an employer arranges a social function in work time, and at which alcohol is served,could there be a liability perhaps vicarious, for any harm which came to the employee or any harm done by the employee as a result of drinking excessive amount of alcohol?

Yes - in fact it doesn't even need to be on work time nor on work premises!

I can't remember the case names but they have been brought. I vaguely remember that one was an employee accusing another employee of harassment (as he kissed her or something) at an evening party in a pub. Another was taking action against a company as they had an accident falling over at a party.

hcb42

why not go and dont drink? Drinking is not compulsory, and indeed, not recommended at a works party either.

although I think the thread is a wind up, or someone has been incredibly lucky indeed.

toadyfrog

One firm I worked for paid for us + partners to go to belgium for the weekend, which included all travel, hotel 5 course dinner, disco and for anyone who fancied it a trip to a local casino where they also gave us a little bit of money each for gambling.

Kynthia

BobQ wrote: »

Its not a law but it is an HMRC rule on taxation of expenses.

An employer may pay for their staff to attend a Christmas Party. If they chose to do so and provided they do not spend more than a certain amount (I think its £150) per head they the employer can claim it as a business expense. If it costs more than the allowed amount the employee is deemed to get a taxable benefit from the Party and must pay tax on it.

Whether the employer can provide transport home as part of this I do not know.

However, the employer is not obliged to do anything at all since even with tax relief they are still paying money for the meal.

The OP has clearly been lucky enough to work for such a generous employer.

The OPs question was whether the company was legally bound to pay for travel home from a Christmas party. I'm pretty sure that there's no law or HMRC rule on this issue. :rotfl:

dontone

I've been to do's where a bunch of us hired a mini bus to take us home and it cost no more than a fiver each.
The last place I worked for used to pay for your meal (a guest of yours had to pay) and give you a £20 note to pay for your taxi. So some places do contribute towards transport, but I think it's more a voluntary than legal thing.
It got stopped though, because if you didn't go to the do, you didn't get the £20 and a lot of us who couldn't make it complained that the ones not going were being punished. After all, we all worked just as hard through the year as those who went.
I kind of got tired of the whole scenrio, because you could guarantee that some of your workmates would fall out with each other and all the bum kissers would cosy up to the management and slag others off. You get an idiot on the dance floor who'd just knock people over and a meal that was cooked 3 days before.
The whole Christmas do thing is best avoided IMO :rotfl: