Nightmare business travel - next steps?

[red]

Hi there,

I have just come back from a business trip that has left me somewhat traumatised. The 'hotel' the company booked me into was more of a cross between council flats and a flea pit motel with the rooms leading straight outside into an industrial estate with some suspicious characters loitering, I have never felt so unsafe (being a twenty something female).

I am returning to work tomorrow and plan to submit a formal grievance but do not know of any regulations concerning work travel and health and safety, even after thorough internet research.

Can anyone give their advise or opinions on this subject?

Thanks

[LDW]

Hi,

Go on to the ACAS.co.uk website and then speak with them. They will inform you of your rigts and how to put your grievance together.

Good luck.

[Cornish Steve]

Hi there,

I have just come back from a business trip that has left me somewhat traumatised. The 'hotel' the company booked me into was more of a cross between council flats and a flea pit motel with the rooms leading straight outside into an industrial estate with some suspicious characters loitering, I have never felt so unsafe (being a twenty something female).

I am returning to work tomorrow and plan to submit a formal grievance but do not know of any regulations concerning work travel and health and safety, even after thorough internet research.

Can anyone give their advise or opinions on this subject?

Thanks

Personally, I would not rush to judgment. Is this the latest of many examples or is this the first time you experienced such a bad hotel? Does your company decide 100 percent where you stay or can you provide input to the process?

I've travelled many millions of miles around the world, and I've stayed at some the world's best and worst hotels. It's easy for me to pass judgment on hotels after the fact; I had no idea about most of them before I stayed at them. Unfortunately, without first-hand input, we can never be sure.

As a woman traveling, it is important that you ARE safe and that you FEEL safe. If your company does not accept this, and if they have placed you in unsafe hotels before, then pursue the matter. Otherwise, I would advise that you speak with your manager so that she understands the problem and go from there.

[red]

Thanks all,

ldw: I'll try that out, thanks

goldctrsteve: the travel was arranged for a client meeting and my company was supplied with a list of accommodation from that client, as they were to be invoiced for the expenses.

The request went to the our department that organises travel arrangements, as the individual employee has no say over what is decided.

My company decided not to use any of the accommodation that was suggested by the client and obviously went for a cheaper option (although the options supplied were already very reasonable, and the client was going to pay!)

Other colleagues who have recently been on business trips have reported the same situation, however it has been noted that once an employee reaches a certain level in the company (eg senior managemnt and above) they are placed in 4 and 5 star hotels when on business!

Our company travel policy at the moment seems to be based on cost, rather than employee welfare for those of us who are not senior employees, and I find that quite disturbing (although probably quite common).

[Cornish Steve]

...the travel was arranged for a client meeting and my company was supplied with a list of accommodation from that client, as they were to be invoiced for the expenses...My company decided not to use any of the accommodation that was suggested by the client and obviously went for a cheaper option...Other colleagues who have recently been on business trips have reported the same situation, however it has been noted that once an employee reaches a certain level in the company (eg senior managemnt and above) they are placed in 4 and 5 star hotels when on business!

Clearly, your company is focused excessively on cost, even though customers are willing to pay a higher bill. My guess is (and I could be completely wrong) that the people making the decisions are number-crunchers and have no idea how poor or unsafe conditions were at the hotel. I'm sure that, if you let them know about it, they will change the policy. After all, you're not asking to be extravagant - just sensible.

If you're nervous about addressing the issue by yourself, what about discussing it with some other women in your company? They are likely to be sensitive to your feelings and understand your perspective. Maybe you could approach the travel department as a group - that would give you more credibility. A formal grievance, on the other hand, will raise hackles unnecessarily and earn you a reputation that you will have to live with for a long time.

As for senior managers receiving perks, this is a fact of life. After many years of travel, it becomes difficult for some. It's not unreasonable for them to be granted some ease after decades of travelling on a shoe-string budget. It might not seem fair, but chances are that - when they were your age - they faced similar travel constraints. As someone who recently endured yet another birthday in my 40s, I'm speaking from experience.

Every problem is really an opportunity in disguise. In this case, you can demonstrate your worth to the company by identifying a problem, offering a sensible and thoughtful solution, and establishing a positive relationship with managers in the process.

[red]

Thanks goldctrsteve,

I have spoken to my manager about the incident today (she is also female). She has asked me to provide a written account from my point of view and will take it from there.

The feedback so far is that the department concerned reviewed the accommodation through the hotel website (which is obviously biased) and I have suggested that they use an impartial website such as trip advisor, which has hopefully more accurate reviews.

I suppose the lesson learnt is that I should have done this before the journey, but you tend to trust that your company will make the right decision both with regards to their requirements and in terms of employee welfare.

Hopefully, however, this incident will start steps to ensure that this does not happen again.

Thanks very much for your advise

[MinuWeb]

When we travel, or send employees on business trips we allocate a daily budget for accomodation. This we find works well as the person travelling can choose the hotel they want and pay / pocket the difference depending on whether the hotel is more expensive or cheaper than our budget.