Lodging for work. What distance is reasonable?

Lodging for work. What distance is reasonable?

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DeanR32

Original Poster:

1,840 posts

182 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
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Evening all

I'm lodging for work for the next month or so (Monday for 4 nights, returning on Friday) and I fking hate it.

I'm in essex and working in brighton, so it's 80 miles give or take a couple yards. On a good day, it's 90 mins travelling, now the dartford tunnel is altered, and anything up to 2 1/2 hours if there's problems.

Is there a compulsory lodging distance/time? Have you lodged before, and what sort of distance was you working?

Just having a moan off!

Bullett

10,873 posts

183 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
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Not totally sure what you are asking, are you saying that your work has provided lodgings 80 miles from the site you are working on? (How far away do you live?).
When I've worked away I've been virtually on the customers site. Not always practical of course but anymore than 20 mminutes travel is out.
Doubt there is any legislation though.

DeanR32

Original Poster:

1,840 posts

182 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
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We live 80 miles from site, so we have to lodge, which is roughly 5 miles from site. It just seems a very short distance to have to lodge imo

Condi

17,089 posts

170 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
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Sounds reasonable to me. Far more reasonable than expecting you to do up to 2.5 hours each way. If it can take either 90 mins or 150 hours, maybe they dont want you to be late if the traffic is bad.

DeanR32

Original Poster:

1,840 posts

182 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
quotequote all
We can pretty much turn up when we want to. 9am wouldn't be frowned upon at all really.

We usually leave around 6am for anywhere we work. Our last job was almost 70 miles, and we travelled that every day. Just wondered what seemed a reasonable distance to travel, and if there was a compulsory distance or travelling time.


KFC

3,687 posts

129 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Not so bad if you can share the journeys. I wouldn't mind doing it if I could drive one direction and sleep in the other.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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KFC said:
Not so bad if you can share the journeys. I wouldn't mind doing it if I could drive one direction and sleep in the other.
Still seems a bit stupid to commute nearly 4,000 miles at your own expense when the company is laying on accommodation for you.

spikeyhead

17,225 posts

196 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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Much more than an hour each way and it's worthwhile lodging

northwest monkey

6,370 posts

188 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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spikeyhead said:
Much more than an hour each way and it's worthwhile lodging
I hate staying away from home, but I'd agree with this. As a one-off the big commute isn't bad, but 5 hours a day in the car for several months?

Stuff that.

What sort of digs are they putting you up in? Travelodge wouldn't be too bad, caravan less so.

I used to have to stay down near Farnborough for a week at a time & I stayed in a B&B which was basically someone's house. It was bloody lovely - nice big room with TV etc, comfy bed, parking on the drive & a cracking breakfast. They even washed & ironed my shirtslaugh

gazza285

9,780 posts

207 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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northwest monkey said:
What sort of digs are they putting you up in? Travelodge wouldn't be too bad, caravan less so.
When working in London the other year we received an allowance for accommodation, I lived in a tent up at the Lea Valley campsite four nights a week for 21 months and pocketed the £200 a week difference. I would not recommend living in a tent.

DeanR32

Original Poster:

1,840 posts

182 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies.

We were working in South East London (approx 30 miles) and there were days when it took 2hrs door to door. We can do brighton in 1 1/2hrs at the moment as it's all motorway.

There's three of us in one van, the team leader drives (as it's his van), but we're all insured to drive, and diesel is a covered expense for us, as is the digs, which are never terrible. If I opt to drive in seperate, I'd have to try and claim the petrol instead of the lodging costs.

I thought there were rules and regs for driving certain hours or distances in a day where we are obligated to lodge.

Baz Tench

5,648 posts

189 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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I work on the railway, and anything over 2 hours away is considered a lodge.

I don't mind it tbh, but I have my own van. It would probably grate if I wasn't driving, I'm not a brilliant passenger.

Brite spark

2,052 posts

200 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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DeanR32 said:
I thought there were rules and regs for driving certain hours or distances in a day where we are obligated to lodge.
There is-uk domestic driving rules,
https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/gb-domestic-rules

Assuming one of the exceptions gets you out of eu driving hours,
such as * vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum permissible weight of 7.5 tonnes or less that are used for carrying work equipment for the driver.

Not forgetting eu working time directive if applicable.
https://www.gov.uk/maximum-weekly-working-hours/we...

Edited by Brite spark on Monday 2nd February 06:11

lambysdad

939 posts

238 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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Sounds like you're moaning because your company wants to look after you by providing good accommodation while you work away from home?

Stay in the digs, have a lie in and enjoy the peace that being away from home brings smile

Asterix

24,438 posts

227 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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Get an Xbox off Ebay or something and stick it in the lodgings so you can have a play in the evenings.

ecsrobin

17,025 posts

164 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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I'm confused, So you live 2+ hours away from the site, work has provided accommodation within walking distance and your complaining as you'd rafther do a 4 hour round trip everyday?

I'd take the lie in walk to the site via a cafe for breakfast. Do the work go back to a bar and have a drink. And start the day refreshed everyday. Commute home Friday evening and back to work Monday morning although if your leaving at 6am I'd probably just head over late Sunday night.

CountZero23

1,288 posts

177 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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Brighton is a great city (might be a bit biased here), enjoy getting out of Essex for a bit.


northwest monkey

6,370 posts

188 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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gazza285 said:
northwest monkey said:
What sort of digs are they putting you up in? Travelodge wouldn't be too bad, caravan less so.
When working in London the other year we received an allowance for accommodation, I lived in a tent up at the Lea Valley campsite four nights a week for 21 months and pocketed the £200 a week difference. I would not recommend living in a tent.
fk thatlaugh

A couple of mates of mine are window fitters & they got 6 months work in the South East fitting windows on some massive housing project. They were given about £200 a week for accommodation but stayed in the back of their van (massive LWB Sprinter thing) on site & came back up North on Friday night. Used the local leisure centre for showers. After 6 months they were ready to kill each other, but nearly 2 years in a tent makes me think you're madwobble

P-Jay

10,551 posts

190 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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I also hate staying away, I was based in Sheffield for a few months (Cardiff is home) so had no choice really, stayed at the Hilton which was nice, but I got really fat eating in the restaurant each night.

Last posting was Reading, 90 mins on a good run, and I was sorely tempted to commute it, but gave in and stayed - 3 months in the Madejski Stadium hotel - I was glad to give that job up, I live 5 mins from work now and never never work away - it's total bliss in comparison.

Blue Oval84

5,276 posts

160 months

Monday 2nd February 2015
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Where are you actually staying in Brighton?

It's a difficult one bexause obviously if you're only lodging four nights then I guess it means every night's a school night when you're here, but as has been said above it's a great city, just try and enjoy it smile

I was really lucky when I had to "lodge" here for work as it was actually a hotel, and I was able to stay across the weekends because it worked out cheaper than travelling home, so I got to enjoy the nightlife a bit more than I otherwise would have. I ended up never leaving and just bought a place here instead smile