Sharing hotel rooms with coworkers?

[Lilacs4Me]

No. Way.

I work for a very large company and there is no way we would be asked to do this. People in my department travel at least monthly. I travel 3-4 times a year and I always have my own room.

 

[debster812]

OP-I am curious WHAT you do in this other city-also curious how you rent a HOUSE for a short period of time?

It may not be short term. I work for a small, family owned construction company. We are currently involved in quite a few projects on an island. We rent a house from September to June, regardless of how often our guys need to stay over. I know there are other companies, involved in our projects that do the same thing.

 

[Poohforyou]

Fair... I can understand having special needs requiring a room of your own. I think my main objection is to the idea that your company should pay extra to accommodate you (barring a doctor's note). I think the policy is fine, as long as reasonable accommodations are made for special circumstances and people have the option to say, "I'll pay for my own room, thanks."

Also, people who snore loudly should always either have their own room or be bunked with each other. For the sake of all of us! (When my church had a sleepover weekend for the kids, the adult leaders and chaperones had a "snoring" room and a "non-snoring" room, ha!)

How about I'm a grown-up and I don't want to. Business travel is an inconvenience in itself. I feel having my own room is reasonable compensation for that inconvenience.

 

[kamik86]

Honestly this thread is once again making me very thankful for the job I have... They barely make us share cars (I been on travel the same time as another guy for a week, always going to the same event, and we both got our own rental car. The only time we shared is I was the only one with a pass to one area of the location we were working in, so we would drive from the same hotel to the location seperately park and then go further in with my car.

This way no arguing on where go to dinner, what time to have dinner, if we should leave early enough to stop for coffee or breakfast on the way, etc.

I am ok with sharing cars though, we have done that as well, as long as everyone was on the same flights to and back, but since we also get to pick our own flights we weren't always even using the same airport.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Fair... I can understand having special needs requiring a room of your own. I think my main objection is to the idea that your company should pay extra to accommodate you (barring a doctor's note). I think the policy is fine, as long as reasonable accommodations are made for special circumstances and people have the option to say, "I'll pay for my own room, thanks."

Also, people who snore loudly should always either have their own room or be bunked with each other. For the sake of all of us! (When my church had a sleepover weekend for the kids, the adult leaders and chaperones had a "snoring" room and a "non-snoring" room, ha!)

I do not think it is a special need to want/need some privacy and decompression time at some point in the day. usually at the end after all the work and business dinners are over. The company should not "own" a worker 24/7 just because that worker is travelling for business, but the company must support the worker with a reasonable level of accommodations if they require the worker to be so far from home---and I think a sleeping place without others in the room is reasonable.

I guess I would say that when companies require people to travel, they are putting demands on that person's time well beyond normal working hours and (yes, even if the person is salaried) they have an obligation (moral, not legal) to make the non work time that the employ is away from home tolerable by providing a private space for sleeping and relaxing and sufficient funds for a decent (not only fast food) evening meal out (or rental unit with a kitchen).

Again, someone being expected to cope with being uncomfortable, lack of privacy and decompression time, etc for 3-4 nights one time a year and function only at the level of conference attendee that week well i can sort of understand that. But, expecting someone to give up that privacy and downtime for regular, frequent travel, especially if they are expected to perform doing their job at 100% while travelling is asking too much and not showing consideration for your staff, IMO.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

I could not imagine sharing a room with a co-worker. Never. How weird to put on your night clothes and get into a bed that is beside the bed of your workmate. I couldn't imagine listening to them snore, hear them using the bathroom, hear whatever sounds they make while they sleep, etc. Uncomfortable.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

Honestly this thread is once again making me very thankful for the job I have... They barely make us share cars (I been on travel the same time as another guy for a week, always going to the same event, and we both got our own rental car. The only time we shared is I was the only one with a pass to one area of the location we were working in, so we would drive from the same hotel to the location seperately park and then go further in with my car.

This way no arguing on where go to dinner, what time to have dinner, if we should leave early enough to stop for coffee or breakfast on the way, etc.

I am ok with sharing cars though, we have done that as well, as long as everyone was on the same flights to and back, but since we also get to pick our own flights we weren't always even using the same airport.

We don't have to share cars either. Thank the Lord.

One time a non-driver asked if she could go with me on a trip. It was a 5 hour drive there. Well, she had to stop every 30 minutes to use the bathroom. I had to go in after her at one stop because she was in there for 20 minutes. I walked in to find her reapplying her make-up Sure, I will drive you, stop every 30 minutes, and then sit in the car while you do your makeup and wait with a smile. I was furious at her entitlement.

She had the heat on so high that I was sweating. I finally told to turn the heat down. She said it would make her uncomfortable. I told her SHE would have to be the uncomfortable one, because I was the one driving and it was too hot and it was bothering my concentration. She pouted. She had a tank top on! Put your darn coat on, lady.

She found a ride back. She didn't want to ride with me because she said I "wouldn't compromise". What a lunatic. She was fired about 5 months after that trip.

Never again will I drive long distances with a co-worker. I couldn't imagine sleeping with them.

 

[Magpie]

How about I'm a grown-up and I don't want to. Business travel is an inconvenience in itself. I feel having my own room is reasonable compensation for that inconvenience.

Somehow I find the phrase "I'm a grown-up and I don't want to," highly entertaining. Now I want to use it in all sorts of circumstances!

Anyway, you're right - everyone's entitled to their feelings. And it's obvious from this thread there's a wide range of acceptable company practice and personal expectation.

I think I was most annoyed at the comment about trans people, more than anything. And a little puzzled at the intense revulsion some people seem to feel at the thought of sleeping in the vicinity of another person, even if it's someone they presumably tolerate being around on a day to day basis.

I'm obviously more on the extroverted side of things, and wasn't taking into full account of the needs of introverts.

 

[kamik86]

Honestly this thread is once again making me very thankful for the job I have... They barely make us share cars (I been on travel the same time as another guy for a week, always going to the same event, and we both got our own rental car. The only time we shared is I was the only one with a pass to one area of the location we were working in, so we would drive from the same hotel to the location seperately park and then go further in with my car.

This way no arguing on where go to dinner, what time to have dinner, if we should leave early enough to stop for coffee or breakfast on the way, etc.

I am ok with sharing cars though, we have done that as well, as long as everyone was on the same flights to and back, but since we also get to pick our own flights we weren't always even using the same airport.

Expanding on my own post I would expect my job to insist on the following before sharing rooms

1) booking travel a week in advance in most cases... seriously its amazing how often we book last minute because we aren't sure we are going until 2 days before... We have known about a meeting today for 3 weeks and they only just decided half way through last week who was going and who wasn't. Those flights had to be so much more expensive then they could have.
2) INsist on a given airline, flight, airport etc especially when cheaper. Right now not taking the cheapest flight reason that is accepted could be (I want to fly out of albany instead of hartford or vice versa)
3) Insist on sharing cars. Made more possible by the above requirement to fly specific airlines/airports.

 

[Magpie]

I do not think it is a special need to want/need some privacy and decompression time at some point in the day. usually at the end after all the work and business dinners are over. The company should not "own" a worker 24/7 just because that worker is travelling for business, but the company must support the worker with a reasonable level of accommodations if they require the worker to be so far from home---and I think a sleeping place without others in the room is reasonable.

I guess I would say that when companies require people to travel, they are putting demands on that person's time well beyond normal working hours and (yes, even if the person is salaried) they have an obligation (moral, not legal) to make the non work time that the employ is away from home tolerable by providing a private space for sleeping and relaxing and sufficient funds for a decent (not only fast food) evening meal out (or rental unit with a kitchen).

Again, someone being expected to cope with being uncomfortable, lack of privacy and decompression time, etc for 3-4 nights one time a year and function only at the level of conference attendee that week well i can sort of understand that. But, expecting someone to give up that privacy and downtime for regular, frequent travel, especially if they are expected to perform doing their job at 100% while travelling is asking too much and not showing consideration for your staff, IMO.

True... I can see there being a difference between once a year, and once a month, with regards to what the company should cover. Also, I can see it depending on how much work the company is expecting to get out of their employees.

If you need a quiet room to write, prepare, or continue work at the end of the day, that's one thing. But if all they want from you is once-a-year attendance at some conference sessions, and socializing at the parties afterward, then... actually, if I was an employer, I might actually want my employees sharing rooms. It might cut down a bit on regrettable hook-ups and subsequent office drama.

 

[kamik86]

Somehow I find the phrase "I'm a grown-up and I don't want to," highly entertaining. Now I want to use it in all sorts of circumstances!

Anyway, you're right - everyone's entitled to their feelings. And it's obvious from this thread there's a wide range of acceptable company practice and personal expectation.

I think I was most annoyed at the comment about trans people, more than anything. And a little puzzled at the intense revulsion some people seem to feel at the thought of sleeping in the vicinity of another person, even if it's someone they presumably tolerate being around on a day to day basis.

I'm obviously more on the extroverted side of things, and wasn't taking into full account of the needs of introverts.

Honestly I can see why some wouldn't understand why this is an issue. I know several people here at my company that have roommates in a job that pays well enough to afford their own safe apartment. They just don't mind sharing an apartment with everyone having their own room and wanted to save money.

Besides being in a college dorm I have never had a roommate I wasn't related to (and got out of that as soon as I could) or planning to marry.

Even now my husband and I will occasionally sleep in separate rooms not because we are mad at each other but because we both like to spread out, he snores, I move to much, etc.

 

[Poohforyou]

Somehow I find the phrase "I'm a grown-up and I don't want to," highly entertaining. Now I want to use it in all sorts of circumstances!

Anyway, you're right - everyone's entitled to their feelings. And it's obvious from this thread there's a wide range of acceptable company practice and personal expectation.

I think I was most annoyed at the comment about trans people, more than anything. And a little puzzled at the intense revulsion some people seem to feel at the thought of sleeping in the vicinity of another person, even if it's someone they presumably tolerate being around on a day to day basis.

I'm obviously more on the extroverted side of things, and wasn't taking into full account of the needs of introverts.

My reason for saying that was you listed a bunch of reasons it would be acceptable for someone to have their own room but expected everyone else not to have a problem with it.

I'm not an introvert. I don't see where being an introvert or extrovert plays into this at all.

 

[Magpie]

My reason for saying that was you listed a bunch of reasons it would be acceptable for someone to have their own room but expected everyone else not to have a problem with it.

I'm not an introvert. I don't see where being an introvert or extrovert plays into this at all.

Introverts typically need time to decompress at the end of a day of dealing with people. They need their "alone time" to recharge. A lot of people have listed this as a reason for needing their own room. I wasn't referring to you specifically.

 

[Magpie]

Honestly I can see why some wouldn't understand why this is an issue. I know several people here at my company that have roommates in a job that pays well enough to afford their own safe apartment. They just don't mind sharing an apartment with everyone having their own room and wanted to save money.

Besides being in a college dorm I have never had a roommate I wasn't related to (and got out of that as soon as I could) or planning to marry.

Even now my husband and I will occasionally sleep in separate rooms not because we are mad at each other but because we both like to spread out, he snores, I move to much, etc.

Oh wow... I'm so very different! When I lived alone with my mum, I was often lonely. After moving out, I lived with many roommates, before finally moving in with my husband and his roommates. Who drifted away, over time, as we established ourselves as a couple with kids.

Now I live with my husband, his mother, my two adult children, and frequent house guests.

I'd be very unhappy if I was forced to live alone. I think, if I couldn't find a human to live with me, I'd have to get a bunch of very large dogs. And have them all sleep in my bed with me.

I am seeing how, for some people though, this is an issue.

 

[kamik86]

True... I can see there being a difference between once a year, and once a month, with regards to what the company should cover. Also, I can see it depending on how much work the company is expecting to get out of their employees.

If you need a quiet room to write, prepare, or continue work at the end of the day, that's one thing. But if all they want from you is once-a-year attendance at some conference sessions, and socializing at the parties afterward, then... actually, if I was an employer, I might actually want my employees sharing rooms. It might cut down a bit on regrettable hook-ups and subsequent office drama.

Hmm maybe in that case...

Once I got to travel for a week long training class. That was by far the easiest ever. Only 8 hours a day. No reports back to management, no going over to 10 hours for the day, no dinners after that I had to attend, and the emails happened to be fairly minimal. It almost felt like a vacation in comparison to normal travel If another female coworker had been on that trip honestly I probably could have dealt with sharing for that one.

The week of 9 hours of testing per day, 3rd shift due to scheduling, plus reports, emails, and settup time separate from that. Where I was one of two in charge of the entire event with a bunch of moving parts... yeah would want to be alone after that. This one even as simple as when people would want to sleep would be an issue. Some that were doing that testing were sleeping in the morning as soon as we left, some were sleeping in the afternoon then getting up and going to work.

 

[RedAngie]

In my first go-round with my company, sharing rooms was standard and I don't think anybody complained. Maybe some were uncomfortable, but they kept their mouths shut. The higher-ups could get their own rooms, but they often shared as well. From what I understand, sharing rooms on business trips was the norm in many companies.

After an 8 year stint elsewhere, I rejoined my company. In the interim, the policy had changed and everyone was able to get their own private rooms. And that seems to be the norm now in many other companies, too.

If people are willing to share rooms, my company doesn't have a problem with it, but they don't insist on it anymore.

 

[kamik86]

Oh wow... I'm so very different! When I lived alone with my mum, I was often lonely. After moving out, I lived with many roommates, before finally moving in with my husband and his roommates. Who drifted away, over time, as we established ourselves as a couple with kids.

Now I live with my husband, his mother, my two adult children, and frequent house guests.

I'd be very unhappy if I was forced to live alone. I think, if I couldn't find a human to live with me, I'd have to get a bunch of very large dogs. And have them all sleep in my bed with me.

For about 6 months I lived completely alone. I had a studio apartment while working a co-op job. This was before my fiance (now husband) moved up with me.

Honestly I wanted him to move up because I missed him (he was living 5 hours away), but had he lived in the same city as me at the time I probably would have been perfectly content to stay this way. I could have whatever I wanted for dinner and not have to worry about if others would eat it, hate the smell (DH hates fish so I don't cook it often unless he isn't home) etc. I had my own space, could do whatever I wanted... yeah loved in.

Now we live in a 3 bedroom house with only 2 of us. We have our bedroom. His room (which I very rarely enter, and only do as this is the room that cats aren't allowed in so occasionally something of mine that cats can't get at is stored there) and my room (but cats are allowed in this one so he comes in here a bit more often then I do his.

 

[NHdisneylover]

There are advantages of coming from a big family (5 boys and one girl and I'm that one girl) privacy isn't something you ever have so I wouldn't even blink sharing the bathroom with another woman. There are also advantages of being a scuba diver, no privacy at all, we've been known to strip down on a dive boat under a towel. I've shared a condo with 3 men, one my honey, another one a person we met in class and had been on another dive trip with and the other one a good friend. The two men shared a room there were two bathrooms but that was just because there was a master bedroom with it's own bathroom. It didn't bother me at all to get up in the morning in my tshirt and shorts and shuffle into the kitchen to make coffee, if one of the guys was already up we'd just kind of nod to each other. But again, no one looks their best after coming up from a dive so they had pretty much seen the worst they could see. I also write reviews for a book website and have gotten to know a lot of people from that. When we attend conferences, most of the time we share rooms since we pay for it ourselves (most of them are indy authors) and I've shared with people I've only met on line. I'm one of those who gets up early to workout or jog and I just always make sure my room mate is aware I'm going to do it. I put my clothes in the bathroom the night before, get up and go in there and shut the door so the light isn't shining and try to make as little noise as I can while leaving.

Everyone is different.

My husband has 3 siblings and he and I have both done a lot of community theatre where all of us end up changing in the wings not caring who is around--and we both go to German spays sometimes and those are usually clothing not allowed---he is not worried about people seeing him, but he just needs some space to himself and decompression time if he is going to be able to function day after day at the level his company expects him to.
Fortunately they have never asked him to share a room. I don't think his company would do that--they are frugal in many ways but also quite considerate of their employees.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I have always had to travel for work, and never experienced this before. But a company I just started working at recently changed their policy so now, employees have to share a room with a coworker while travelling for work. Has anyone else ever had to experience this?

NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS!!! I would pay difference to switch. I don't even like sharing a room with friends, and since the last time with a group of ladies, I said never again!
I want to do as I please as far as arising, sleeping, tv, laptop, etc. Nope, no way, Jose!

 

[NHdisneylover]

I think I was most annoyed at the comment about trans people, more than anything. And a little puzzled at the intense revulsion some people seem to feel at the thought of sleeping in the vicinity of another person, even if it's someone they presumably tolerate being around on a day to day basis.
s.

I would be annoyed by that comment too, had it appeared to be serious to me---I took it as in reference to a thread about restroom use by someone'S trans boss which got a lot of commentary a few weeks ago. I thought this poster was basically saying OTHERS might get all in a snit about that and shouldn't, not that they themselves would be bothered.