Sharing hotel rooms with coworkers?

[proud_canadian]

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?

 

[NMAmy]

That's a terrible policy. I think I'd be paying for my own room. How much travel do you have to do? Are they thinking co-ed or would it only be same sex rooming together?

 

[NewRVLady]

Find another company-or maybe pay the difference for a single?

 

[JoeA]

ZERO. CHANCE. IN. YOU KNOW WHERE.

I like nothing more than my privacy.

 

[proud_canadian]

OK, glad to know I'm not the only one who thought this was strange. It would be same sex, so ladies sharing with ladies and men with men. I travel about 1 week a month. Seems like some trips will be sharing hotel rooms (same sex sharing), and others renting a house, where it would be possibly sharing a bedroom with same sex, but bathrooms would be for all. Not sure I like the idea of walking to the bathroom in my pjs before my shower in the am and walking into my male coworkers!

 

[dclpluto]

I know the economy is very bad in the USA and in Canada. Your company probably just trying to make ends meet.

 

[sam_gordon]

My company has had that policy for years. Does it suck? Yes. But when we travel, we are literally in the room only to sleep and shower. I think it's easy to say "pay for your own room", but I know one trip we take, an extra room (if it can be found) would be $1000+.

And really? "Find another job"? I guess I might do that if I was travelling often, but for the couple times a year (if that), it's not worth it.

 

[loves to dive]

We've always done that in the company I work for, doesn't seem strange to me at all. Of course, I'm the bookkeeper and I see how much it all costs.

 

[anniemae]

I would absolutely hate that. Sharing a hotel room is kind of a private thing. I would not want to see my coworkers in the morning when I just wake up! I think only family and close friends should share a room. I am just not that close with my coworkers. It would be very awkward for me, but I am a very private person.

I get that your workplace is trying to save money, but I don't think there is much you can do. It seems like you will be traveling a lot so paying for your own room is probably not financially feasible.

 

[JoeA]

OK, glad to know I'm not the only one who thought this was strange. It would be same sex, so ladies sharing with ladies and men with men. I travel about 1 week a month. Seems like some trips will be sharing hotel rooms (same sex sharing), and others renting a house, where it would be possibly sharing a bedroom with same sex, but bathrooms would be for all. Not sure I like the idea of walking to the bathroom in my pjs before my shower in the am and walking into my male coworkers!

I think having a household full of male and female co-workers is much too intimate for me for the reason(s) you describe.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

That's a terrible policy. I think I'd be paying for my own room. How much travel do you have to do? Are they thinking co-ed or would it only be same sex rooming together?

It may not be co-ed.

But just wait until the op is sharing a room with a pre-surgery transgender person.

 

[NHdisneylover]

DH travels 80%, he is not required to share a room and I am sure he would balk at that being regular thing.

I think a house rental for a longer trip , in which everyone has a bedroom and therefore some privacy is reasonable--but everyone should be allowed to sleep in their own space (IMO).

When DH was just starting out in his career and normally did not travel but a a group went together to a convention, they did share hotel rooms---but that was discuss beforehand and they had the option to not go to the convention and they did not travel often.

I think it is a little different if you are asking someone to be uncomfortable for 2-3 nights in a year than if you are asking the same for 50 or 100 or something.

 

[design_mom]

My current company does not have that rule, but the company I worked for when I first graduated from college did. (That was almost 20 years ago.) I didn't really think anything of it then -- it was just how things were done -- but I would not enjoy sharing a room with coworkers now. And I agree with others that sharing a hotel room with one coworker would be bad enough. Sharing a house with a bunch of them would be something else altogether!

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

And...we're off

 

[havaneselover]

Yuck. Eww. No!

 

[ronandannette]

At our workplace no one is required to travel for their job duties but we do go to the occasional convention and/or seminar. The entire trip usually has a budget and corporate makes the arrangements regarding transportation, lodging and pre-paid meals and entertainment. For example, the most recent trip was to an international trade show in Vegas. 8 men and 2 women were booked into the Wynn. The guys were lodged together in doubles and myself and the other lady each had our own rooms. This was the decision of corporate; we had no say in it. All the necessities were pre-paid and we did not have the latitude to "expense" anything after the fact. Anybody who didn't like their flights, accommodation or meals was at liberty to make changes at their own expense. In the extreme one could have also declined to take the trip. Nobody did.

 

[MrsDuck]

I'm a teacher - our county hardly pays for us to go anywhere for training, trips, etc and when we do, we always share a room with a same gendered co-worker.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'm a teacher - our county hardly pays for us to go anywhere for training, trips, etc and when we do, we always share a room with a same gendered co-worker.

That's how our district does it too. My dad said in the old days they'd be 4 to a room for coaching clinics.

Thankfully, I've never had to share a room on business trips. My current boss does on occasion with the sales guy though.

 

[NewRVLady]

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

I can nOT imagine any coworker I would have wanted to share room with....and since I SNORE I would be so uncomfortable sharing

 

[Poohforyou]

I haven't ever had to share a room with a coworker and I wouldn't like that at all. I'm an early bird and when traveling for work I'm up using the hotel gym in the morning and then going to bed early.

I also don't want to share a bathroom with anyone but family or very close friends.