work team day - reasonable?

Soot2006

Dear Line Manager,

RE Team away day. Due to personal circumstances, I am unable to meet the proposed costs of this event and wanted to double check if related expenses will be reimbursed. If not, I will need to work from my usual contracted place of work. Of course, I would be happy to join remotely via Teams/Zoom if that is an option!

Thanks for your understanding and/or suggestions ...

coconutcurls

mark_cycling00 said:

I'd go. It will be really good to meet colleagues in person.

If you don't go you'll be worse off in terms of team dynamics. People who do go will bond, feel at ease with each other, gain mutual trust etc. 
The cost will be trivial in comparison to what you'll gain. it also sends out a negative message to your colleagues that you don't value them 

I get that but colleagues are not coming to the office on office days and we could be working together and building the team for free while working / having lunch etc as I do with the people who go to the office ocasionally. 

It is having to pay that gets to me. I could make better use of the money for sure, there are many things I want to buy for myself or my home and I put it off in order to save and not splurge, but now I have to spend on some activity not  of my choice because management decided. It doesn’t feel ok. 

Undervalued

coconutcurls said:

Management planned a half day team day out of the office, it involves an activity and uptional going for food before or after the activity, and travel to the venue - there is light pressure to take part however emplyoees are expected to pay for it all themselves. 

I don’t want to but answering questions as to why not is uncomfortable, I don’t think they should even be asking question tbh. 
It is not a private company so I understand why it is tricky for work to pay for this, but they shouldn’t expect people to go. 
If it was a day in the office I would spend less than £5 for travel and take my own lunch from home. If I go to this day out, I will have to spend at least £35 depending on what the food is and not even mentioning drinks afterwards (but I never go to drinks anyway so not worried about that). 


I hate making excuses but because of office politics not sure if it is acceptible to just be blunt. 

(Some people who travel from very far will spend far more and give it a lot more time). 

What do you think?

So, work would be able to argue it is optional then!

I do understand and dislike the "pressure" that comes with these sort of things and generally I feel it is best to be honest and simply say no thank you. If at least one or two others of the same mind it obviously makes it easier than if you are the only one.

TBagpuss

Just to clarify, are you being asked to pay for the activity itself, or 'just' for lunch and transport (and drinks if you go) ?

If it's something like (say) a boat trip or escape room so you can't be there without participating then I think if you are asked you can say ' I'm not comfortable paying for [activity] , I'd be happy to come into the office for an in-person meet -up , or to spend time with coworkers if the event was one which didn't require staff to pay additional cost"

If the activity is one which people could opt out of (maybe something like taster sessions of activities like rock climbing or canoeing) you could say 'Activity isn't really in my budget, but I'd be happy to come to cheer people on to benefit from team building'

I think if you do go, you can ask ahead of time whether you will be able to t claim mileage for the difference between the trip to the office and the trip to the activity.

I think only you can judge whether it's likely to be a problem if you don't go, but if you feel you have the standing to do so you could flag for your manager that it's potentially a problem that people are being made to feel that they ought to go, but it does involve costs and management can't know who might struggle to afford it , especially among junior or lower paid staff, who may also be those who are least likely to feel that they can push back.  

I appreciate that in the public sector, managers may not be able to pay for it themselves, but in that case, it would be better if they found ways of encouraging team building that didn't involve additional expense (or had minimal cost that they were willing to cover themselves)  

coconutcurls

@TBagpuss

I am expected to pay for everything - the activity is the main focus of the day - the meal and drinks are optional. The activity requires participation, I don't think people can go in the venue and not take part, the venue is bespoke to the activity, nothing else going on there (they have their own foods and drinks at the venue as suppose) but ppl are talking about going other places for food and drinks.

The activity itself is 'cheap' but adding the travel and the food it will be a bit of money that I could use to buy a new pair of shoes for example.
I know the food is optional but what is the point going to one and not the other? I would be more excited about eating out with the colleagues at a place I've never eaten before,  than doing the activity anyway - the activity is not my cup of tea and I was never interested in it when invited by friends.

 I don't drink and can't stay out late so that is a straightforward no.

Some people are coming from much further and investing more money and time into travel, making it awkward to say no.

And the kind of job we do, the work will pile up for next day - it won't go away.

It is not a big problem if I don't go, but yes, I am junior, and with the light pressure I just think it is wrong and I feel like not going out of principle. However if I go, it is good for office politics and upcoming opportunities ... 

diystarter7

So what do you want to do. As I said in my inntial post, the choice is yours
Thanks

Khaderbhai

mark_cycling00 said:

I'd go. It will be really good to meet colleagues in person.

If you don't go you'll be worse off in terms of team dynamics. People who do go will bond, feel at ease with each other, gain mutual trust etc. 
The cost will be trivial in comparison to what you'll gain. it also sends out a negative message to your colleagues that you don't value them 

Agree with this. It’s really not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, a little bit of effort can go along way. If your not enjoying yourself, you can always get off early.

Savvy_Sue

My place once organised games on-site. Sumo wrestling suits, giant jenga, can't remember what other nonsense there was.

You'll gather it wasn't my cup of tea. We had a buffet lunch, which i enjoyed. Then I went back to work. I think we were lucky no-one was injured.

I'd be blunt: "I have never been interested in competitive speed knitting and have declined invitations from friends to attend similar activities and take part. I hope you all have a lovely time."

SusieT

It may be worth talking to your manager if it is tham using the light pressure, and saying that you want this to remain confidential, but that due to the current cost of living you are unable to attend this time, however you hope that in future years if things improve you would be able to go. There will most likely be others saying the same thing, and they will know that people are under a lot of pressure financially so it would be a very reasonable response. It is a bit tactless for the company not to be paying the way things are for people financially right now, and they may be finding that there are less people able to go than they had expected when they planned it.

Ditzy_Mitzy

I'd bite the bullet and go.  You might consider it a wasted afternoon, but then the alternative would be another wasted - in the grand scheme of things - afternoon sitting at a desk.  You don't want to be there either, so why not pick the more fun of the two things.  You might hate it, you might be entirely indifferent to it or, God forbid, you might actually have a nice time.  Sometimes, in life, it doesn't hurt to say 'yes' to things; I've spent my life saying 'yes' to every invitation and request to do something social that has come my way.  That has backfired on occasion, getting roped into a trip to something best described as an adventure playground for adults springs to mind, but often has not.  I have a good time, in the main, and a full diary.  

Crucially, however, it moves you out of the 'weirdo who doesn't want to do things' camp in the world of office politics.  There is such a camp, and there are those who look down upon its members.  Nobody need be in that camp, since leaving it requires one merely to participate in one or two of the activities that firms inevitably lay on these days.  More to the point, you really don't want to be put in the 'being weird for the sake of being weird' camp, if not going causes conflict with your line manager.  

Getting on at work is often about doing things we do not wish to do.  For some that's tidying the stationery cupboard, for others it's sitting in an overpriced bar you don't want to be in listening to the Regional Sales Director talk about his new BMW.  Both are forms of gamesmanship, but unfortunately gamesmanship is usually necessary.