Do Companies Do This?

[RUDisney]

My sister's SIL was complaining on FB this morning that she got stuck in NC last night when she was flying home from a business trip. The airline didn't offer to put her up, so I'm guessing that it was a weather delay.

She posted that she would have to stay awake all night, fly into Philadelphia this morning and rent a car to drive home and then go to work.

I posted back this morning asking why her company wouldn't pay to put her up for the night in a hotel. She hasn't responded yet.

The last time I got stuck in Philadelphia, I had the option of renting a car to drive home for an outrageous amount or staying the night in a hotel. While my boss wanted me back at work the next day, he and I agreed that it was better for me to sleep instead of driving late at night and the cost savings were more in having me come in late the next day.

It wasn't as if I had wanted to stay at an airport hotel or that my friend wanted to stay in NC last night. But, it got me wondering if some businesses stop paying for business travel at a certain point.

I can see having a relationship with specific hotels for travel, but to tell an employee to stay the night in an airport is just wrong, IMHO.

 

[Tinkermommy]

Well, with my company if I had to stay over because of weather, then the company would pick up the cost. There would never be a question.

I am very lucky that I have a great company and a great boss though.

I don't have a per diem or a limit on hotel expense. We have guidelines, but you can over ride them as long as your boss is OK with it. (Which I just did to stay at a hotel in downtown Amsterdam instead of out near our office. It was approved with no questions.)

My boss likes the finer things in life so she stays at nicer hotels and we always eat (and drink) well on the road. I try to be a good steward of the companies money, but I also think if you have to travel you should not be terribly inconvenienced or put yourself in an unsafe place as well.

 

[Geoff_M]

It may not be due to company rules... if there were mass delays at the airport due to weather often times the local hotels quickly full up with stranded travelers. There may be no room at places close to the airport. If they arrived late and their new flight was early in the AM, it may be "better" to just stay at the airport instead of taking a long taxi ride to a distant hotel, get only a couple of hours sleep, and then have to get up early for another taxi ride back to catch the 1st flight out.

 

[RUDisney]

It may not be due to company rules... if there were mass delays at the airport due to weather often times the local hotels quickly full up with stranded travelers. There may be no room at places close to the airport.

I thought of this, too, but I know this woman and she would have been complaining on FB that there were no rooms for her.

 

[luvmy3]

My dh's company would cover those extra costs, but he works for a very large company.

 

[bettymae1121]

I suppose it's possible but I've never heard of it. I work as a corporate travel agent for a medical organization (I work for the organization rather than a travel agency) and our company will cover the cost of a hotel for stranded travelers. The traveler has to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed after the trip (unless they have a corporate card in their name of course) but the company will certainly cover not only the hotel, but the extra meals and any other expense related to the delay.

I just checked with a friend of mine who is also a corporate agent and she works for an angency that handles dozens of companies travel needs. She said none of her clients would force an employee to pay for a hotel if they got stranded, either.

But I guess anything is possible.

 

[scrapquitler]

I posted back this morning asking why her company wouldn't pay to put her up for the night in a hotel. She hasn't responded yet.
.

My husband would have checked into a room and then expensed it later. It's his business, but the clients understand that they pay all his travel expenses if he needs to travel, and this would be a legitimate expense.

 

[RUDisney]

She just posted an update. There weren't any rooms available at the airport hotels and she and her travel companion decided going into the city to stay wouldn't have made sense since they'd only get an hour or two of sleep before they'd need to return to the airport.

Thankfully, she isn't alone.

I was just worried that the economy had turned companies cheap on corporate travel. I couldn't imagine many people would agree to travel for those companies if that was the case.

 

[chamonix]

The company most definitely should have reimbursed her for a hotel if one was available. If it's a small company, they may not have dealt with a similar situation before, but this would be a good time to get a policy in place for the future.

If it was me, i would have gotten a hotel and expensed it later, or even paid for it myself, because, in the end, I am not "staying up all night" in an airport, then flying, driving home, and going to work afterwards. At the very least, i would be calling in sick/tired for sure the next day. I wouldn't work for a company that didn't pay for this.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I used to work for a very large corporation, ( to this day they are still raking in money ) when our boss had to have a meeting with managers around 10 she was not allowed to buy us lunch, not even pizza. I have seen the higher ups get huge bonuses. So sad.

 

[okeydokey]

This is world related travel? My employer would have certainly paid for the hotel.

 

[Robinrs]

I guess it always depends on company policy which is as varied as there are human beings. My company would, without a doubt.

 

[design_mom]

My company has cut back on lots of things -- including being allowed to travel. (You have to have a *really* good reason that you can't do it over the phone, via e-mail, etc. before travel is approved.) However, once you were approved for travel, I believe they would cover your expenses if you were delayed.

 

[NHdisneylover]

DH's company would cover the hotel if the flight were cancelled or delayed for any reason or if the employee missed the flight because of truly bad traffic, being made to stay at a late running meeting, etc. They DID refuse to put up two employees who decided they had tons of time and stopped for dinner on the way to the airport and stayed too long and missed the flight (the three employees in the other car, who left the plant at the same time, got there in plenty of time and ate at the airport).

 

[bicker]

The airline didn't offer to put her up, so I'm guessing that it was a weather delay.

Perhaps, but note that airlines don't need to put passengers up unless they're stranded at a connection point.

 

[tvguy]

My company has cut back on lots of things -- including being allowed to travel. (You have to have a *really* good reason that you can't do it over the phone, via e-mail, etc. before travel is approved.) However, once you were approved for travel, I believe they would cover your expenses if you were delayed.

The "allowed to travel" cracked me up. I did travel for over a year for work, it as a huge pain. I got promoted to a position where I was allowed NOT to travel!
There days, I'm not sure why companies travel at all anymore. So much can be done on a phone or video conference.

 

[design_mom]

The "allowed to travel" cracked me up. I did travel for over a year for work, it as a huge pain. I got promoted to a position where I was allowed NOT to travel!
There days, I'm not sure why companies travel at all anymore. So much can be done on a phone or video conference.

LOL! True. As a general rule, I don't like to travel for business. I would never want a job where I had to travel a substantial amount.

The "allowed to travel" wording probably popped out because the last time I was going to travel, I was denied. I was scheduled attend a conference in Denver. The company approved the conference registration, but denied the travel... so I didn't get to go.

 

[DebbieB]

I used to work for a very large corporation, ( to this day they are still raking in money ) when our boss had to have a meeting with managers around 10 she was not allowed to buy us lunch, not even pizza. I have seen the higher ups get huge bonuses. So sad.

Was this for managers who work in the same office? I work for a large insurance company and in general, they do not pay for meals for employees in the same office. Now if it's a meeting with employees from other offices, they would pay for everyone. Of course, all subject to approval. We pay for our Christmas lunch through Casual Friday collections.

I travel frequently on business and one time got in late at night and the roads were icy. I booked an airport hotel and drove home the next morning. They paid for it.

 

[Fly4free]

Perhaps, but note that airlines don't need to put passengers up unless they're stranded at a connection point.

Actually now airlines do not have to put up passengers, even ones in the middle of a connection, if they are stranded due to weather delays. Only passengers that are stuck due to situations which the Airline can control, such as maintenance or crew delays, are entitled to hotels.

 

[bicker]

True enough, but again, only at a connection point.