Unreasonable request from work?

[Goodie]

Just looking for some other people’s opinions on a situation that has arose today for me at work.

For the past five years I have worked for an air conditioning company as a stores controller and occasional project co-ordinator when certain projects require. All of my time at work has been based at the company’s headquarters in Stoke. Today I have been informed that the company has got a job supplying air conditioning for temporary structures based near Ascot during the Olympics and that I am required to work there from mid May until October. This will involve staying at Ascot Monday to Friday and coming home at weekends. Apart from hours worked I will be paid £20 per night out to cover food costs, which I don’t think will really go too far in a place like Ascot. I will also be expected to share a hotel room for the entire duration with a colleague that I do not get on with. A colleague that is morbidly obese and renowned for loud snoring and poor hygiene. I've been told that if I refuse to do the work that the MD will be unhappy and I will basically get stitched with the jobs that no one really wants to do for the foreseeable future.

Just to make things a little worse I am currently studying a Masters on a part time basis, I have an assignment that I will need to complete that will overlap with the first two months of working away. As I do not have a laptop the majority of my work will need to be completed at home during the weekends, it will also be difficult to get in completed in the limited time that I will have. I know the obvious answer it to get another job, and that is what I will be doing. But for the short term I could do with some input on where I stand on this. Is this deemed as an unreasonable request by my employers? And what are my rights to refuse to work away? Any advice on the situation would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Goodie]

Thanks for the input folks. I don’t mean to come across as bratty, however it’s just something that I really don’t think I can do. I never signed up to working away, and I think that a company all dictating my life for 24 hours a day for 5 days of a week is a little extreme. I think I'm going to let them know that I am unwilling to work for the conditions offered, and if it hits the fan then so be it. I could possibly deal with the working away and the night out allowance, however the conditions outside of paid work time and the duration expected just comes across as unreasonable. I also don't want work to adversely affect the studies that I am working hard on and that are nearing their conclusion.

 

[Goodie]

Goodie is this you

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22918

That’s not me, but how's that come about? I'm not really sure what an e-petition on the government website represents?

 

[Goodie]

Are they actually saying they will give you 20 a night, or you can claim up to 20 a night? Every place I have worked I could claim cost of living by putting in receipts, not just a nice 20 per night in my wage. Ways round that were getting the hotel to just flat rate a meal at 20 and just getting a sandwich and couple of beers and pocketing the rest after claiming it.

I'd never share a room away for work, nor would I expect any of my staff to share either!

The night out allowance is £20 per night out which is then put into your pay-packet at the end of the month. So any money owed for nights out during June for example, would be in the wage paid at the end of June. It is taxed however

 

[Goodie]

so wait? see if i've got this right?
You're company is giving you day release to complete a masters and is most likely going to offer an engineers role once completed.
Secondly your company is asking you to do 4 months stint in ascot and you're getting extra pay of £20?
Sound lovely to me, but then what do I know.
The thing you should be concearned about is your company is giving you day release, if you rub them up the wrong way pretty sure they can cancel this and screw you royally.

if there not giving you day release ignore above.
But jsut rember a person that goes out of there way gets noticed by managers and bosses.
I'd take the hit, if you need to get stuff done for uni, either email/video call or book a holiday. but thats jsut me

My work isn't related to my studies. My taught modules are condensed into a solid week of lecturers and followed up by an assignment. Any time that I have spent in university has only been made possible through the use of my holidays. For the last couple of years my study has taken up the brunt of my holiday entitlement.

As a side note, I wont see any significant promotion at this employment. They would rather pay a premium and hire externally than promote individuals internally.

lol maybe he doesn't like the OP


To be honest I think its not on. Unless they are paying you an hourly rate whilst your in the hotel. In which case they can call the shots.

I've had guys in hotels overnight and it's never occurred to me about making them share its not something I would want to do.

I've sent an email to an employment law specialist I know. Lets see what he says

Thanks Matt, I'll be interested to see what he says.

 

[Goodie]

What happened in the end Goodie? Did you negotiate a better deal?

Hey Quink. I managed to negotiate with them a little which makes the situation a whole lot bearable from my perspective. My primary concern was of sharing the room which they have now agreed to get us both separate rooms. I've also managed to negotiate that for a couple of the weeks during July and August I'll work back at home as normal. It did take some negotiating to get that much but that will do as a minimum. I'll just spend my time when I’m not working running or making some good headway with my research project, at least with the euro's and the Olympics being on there will be something to watch on the television at the hotel on the terrestrial channels.

I thought that any pretty major changes to employment terms like this have to be in writing giving about 3 months notice when appropriate.
May not necessarily be the case but at one place where i worked my lad was only 4 weeks old i was recovering from an appendectomy and my boss had to give me written notice of changing my working hours.
Is this not effectively the same thing, alebit for only 5 months.
Sharing a room is not on, but they do it at our place, which is also wrong imho.

There's a little bit that I have read in my contract of employment that lets them get away with it I think mate. I've had your trust message and I've got to say you are an absolute legend, I've got to go to football training shortly however I'll get a reply back to you as soon as I am back. Thanks mate.