Opinions sought - weekend travel

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

Presumably it's central to all the attendees

Only if the other attendees were coming from Dublin.

ohreally

You should put your concerns to them and inform them this is not what was agreed and await their suggestions to get back on track.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

NewShadow wrote: »

That's the problem - I don't want to have to travel up on Saturday for a course that runs Monday to Friday...

Oh, and near Cardiff to either Pwllheli or Bangor then either another two hours on a bus or 40 minutes in a taxi (or arrange a pickup) - butt end of nowhere remember...

Why they think this is a suitable venue for a course I have no idea.

Actually I meant to type Sunday, not Saturday, but fair enough, it really is in the middle of nowhere. I would go with persuading a few other people to drive up on Sunday together and not ask to be paid for the hours. Or is everyone else keen to have a weekend away with work colleagues? I have known a lot of people like that; I presume they have no real friends.

bugslet

FWIW, if we send an employee on a course that would be 180 miles away, we'd pay them Sunday rate for their travel up there and hotel. No way on earth would I consider it reasonable to ask someone to go up Friday eve and hang around all weekend for nothing.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

bugslet wrote: »

FWIW, if we send an employee on a course that would be 180 miles away, we'd pay them Sunday rate for their travel up there and hotel. No way on earth would I consider it reasonable to ask someone to go up Friday eve and hang around all weekend for nothing.

You'd be amazed how many people would actually jump at the chance to do so, mind you. I've encountered this a few times, where my co-workers seem desperate to have nights away from home in hotels. They seem to think it's a holiday. I've always ended up arranging some other way of doing things, but I am generally in the minority.

bugslet

It's fairly usual for us to have people away, so we may be different. I've currently got five drivers between France and Germany, two cabbing it and three in hotels. I think the novelty wore off years ago for my lot!

NewShadow

ScorpiondeRooftrouser wrote: »

You'd be amazed how many people would actually jump at the chance to do so, mind you. I've encountered this a few times, where my co-workers seem desperate to have nights away from home in hotels. They seem to think it's a holiday. I've always ended up arranging some other way of doing things, but I am generally in the minority.

I have to travel to Llandudno/London/Manchester for work and regularly have to stay over but I plan the logistics for those trips myself and arrange things to minimise 'dead time' - plus, who doesn't like a cooked breakfast in the morning if someone else is making it

This is the first time I'm being sent on something arranged centrally and they're expecting me to twiddle my thumbs just so we can have an early start on the Monday.

If I didn't know better I'd think this was a way of teaching those of us that organise meetings 'down south' to allow for travel time for our northern colleagues :rotfl:

shortcrust

"I'm sorry that's not going to be possible. I have a very important engagement on the Saturday which cannot be rearranged. I'll travel down at the earliest opportunity, which will likely be Sunday afternoon or evening."

ohreally

shortcrust wrote: »

"I'm sorry that's not going to be possible. I have a very important engagement on the Saturday which cannot be rearranged. I'll travel down at the earliest opportunity, which will likely be Sunday afternoon or evening."

That assumes they are owed an explanation, they're not.

Arrangements were already agreed, subsequently to be unilaterally changed by the employer.

ReadingTim

ohreally wrote: »

That assumes they are owed an explanation, they're not.

Arrangements were already agreed, subsequently to be unilaterally changed by the employer.

An explanation is polite and politeness, along with good manners is the social lubricant amongst people. You will not endear yourself to others with such a rude approach.