can we compell foreign travel?

[FunkyGibbon]

odd one here:

We have a member of staff who as part of her role is required to attend a specfic meeting. Historically this meeting has always been in the UK. Next years' meeting is in Brussels.

Now, said staff member:

a) is 5hit-scared of travel
b) because of a) never been abroad
c) as a consequence of a + b has no passport or any desire to have one.

Now - can we compell her to attend the meeting in Brussels?

We have a policy that we don't pay for people's passports only Visa's if required for business.

So for her to attend she'd have to pay for her own passport and travel against her wishes.

I think we could be on dodgy ground - what say the enlightened PH massive.

my unoffical and unsympathetic view of this is that she should buck her ideas up, get a passport and explore the wonders of the world (or at least Brussels)

TIA FG

[Stephanie Plum]

Don't make her go - she'll go off sick on full pay claiming stress, and if it ever ended up going legal the law is always on the side of the employee.

Just bear this in mind next time pay rises/promotions etc etc come up, or if you have an appraisal system explain to her then that this may affect her ability to the job effectively in the future.

Non PC hat on - she's needs to get a life! She can to go to Brussels on the train for Chrissake. How easy can it be?!

[FunkyGibbon]

thanks - I agree with all of that.

[timsta]

Will she be paid for the time taken from her leaving to returning? Maybe that may sway it?

[FunkyGibbon]

timsta said:

Will she be paid for the time taken from her leaving to returning? Maybe that may sway it?

oh yes - we pay for travel time if away from the usual place of work.

[timsta]

FunkyGibbon said:

timsta said:

Will she be paid for the time taken from her leaving to returning? Maybe that may sway it?

oh yes - we pay for travel time if away from the usual place of work.

Then she's just being daft. Takes all sorts I suppose.

[fidgits]

what an idiot...

tell her to grow up and stop being so stupid... at the end of the day if it is a requirement of the job and she cannot fufill it, she should either accept diminshed responsibility and pay or find a nice job in sainsburys wheres theres no risk of having to leave the town, let alone county.

I say this because there is a bloody eurostar to Brussels - so she cant even complain about flying...

[jamesuk28]

What if she is scared of trains, planes and boats?

[BliarsGoing]

She should not have to pay for her own passport as she has no need of one outside of work. If you want her to travel for the course of business you should reimburse her out of pocket expenses.

[fidgits]

jamesuk28 said:

What if she is scared of trains, planes and boats?

I say load her up in a cannon at dover and tell her to aim for Calais and hitch the rest of the way...




I'd be a really great and symphatetic boss me!

[Jasper Gilder]

Another approach

Make it difficult for her to say 'no' - Pay for her passport it's only £50.00 or so

Think about 1st class travel ( lots of co's do it for women travelling alone)

Organise a meeting for someone else in the business at the same time in Brussels

When all this fails remind her that attending this meeting is part of her contractual obligations, you've bent over backwards and if she still won't go it's time for J.F.D.I

[srebbe64]

I would calculate, as best you can, how nuch her refusal has cost the company (your time, the inconvenience of someone else going, etc...) When it's her salary review tell her that the above calculations were a factor in her 1% pay rise.

[FunkyGibbon]

BliarsGoing said:

She should not have to pay for her own passport as she has no need of one outside of work. If you want her to travel for the course of business you should reimburse her out of pocket expenses.

I agree. Though we have a strict policy of only paying for Visa applications.

I guess there is a whole in our policy - in that we assume (incorrectly) that everyone has a passport anyway and therefore we don't pay for them. Yet we don't make it a requirement of employment that they must carry a valid passport (neither do we driving licence) - but we may expect them to travel.

For the amount of time and effort expended on this one issue so far we could have renewed everybodies damn passport and be in profit!

Thanks for all the help folks.

[jamesuk28]

fidgits said:

jamesuk28 said:

What if she is scared of trains, planes and boats?

I say load her up in a cannon at dover and tell her to aim for Calais and hitch the rest of the way...




I'd be a really great and symphatetic boss me!

Fidgits that is the answer my friend bravo to you. On anither note I read your profile and I would like to help!!!! Do i get the standard 10% of 20 Million $ for giving you my bank details. Looking forward to your gracious and speedy reply, god willing.

[Leftie]

fidgits said:

jamesuk28 said:

What if she is scared of trains, planes and boats?

I say load her up in a cannon at dover and tell her to aim for Calais and hitch the rest of the way...




I'd be a really great and symphatetic boss me!

Monster Raving Looney Party policy: circus cannon and large net.