No, but they book us the crappiest rooms you ever did see for our annual retreat. We have offered to share rooms if they will take us somewhere nicer.
We go to a state park and stay in a creepy motel where the rooms open up directly to the outdoors/woods. Bugs are common inside the rooms. The beds are rickety. The wallpaper is peeling off. The bathrooms are gross. The water leaves rust stains on the tub and sink. Last year my towel bar was missing and I had a gaping hole in the wall instead. It's dreadful.
How is this place even still operating! Why would anyone willingly stay there?
No, but they book us the crappiest rooms you ever did see for our annual retreat. We have offered to share rooms if they will take us somewhere nicer.
We go to a state park and stay in a creepy motel where the rooms open up directly to the outdoors/woods. Bugs are common inside the rooms. The beds are rickety. The wallpaper is peeling off. The bathrooms are gross. The water leaves rust stains on the tub and sink. Last year my towel bar was missing and I had a gaping hole in the wall instead. It's dreadful.
My thought here: if you don't have the budget to do a retreat properly, have a few beers at a local bar (or in a conference room) instead.
My husband had to do that for his first few years at a Big 4 accounting firm. They'd ship all the young'uns from around the country to a conference center for training, and then make them share rooms. Even worse: they deliberately put them in rooms with people from other offices who they hadn't met so they'd get to know others.
I would fake my death.
This definitely calls for the "nope octopus" even though (I think) you hate gifs.
Last time I heard, my company does require room sharing. But lately, only a few people have been traveling at once, so it's possible they get their own rooms. Obviously if there are uneven numbers or only one person of each sex, they get individual rooms.
Where I work it depends on who (& how many) is going, their positions, cost of the hotel. I have shared many times - no terrible experiences. And three separate times it was with a male coworker (different each time) - I am friends each of them, so not terribly awkward, but... probably would not happen now. I did quickly correct the one time we were going to get a king bed - nope - they switched to queens and moved us to the concierge floor. Free booze and snacks!
Once there were three of us sharing a room: me, female coworker, and male coworker. She and I shared a bed (we are friends socially with our husbands and had previously shared a hotel room for work). Male coworker had trouble sleeping and noticed that she pulled the covers over me in the middle of the night. Apparently I looked cold!
They have frozen travel for two years. To be able to go to a conference, I would agree to share a room.
They made you share rooms with men? And you had to share a bed?? WTF kind of company do you work for?
When I worked for pharma I had to share a room, but travel was infrequent. One of my BFFs was on my team and our manager always roomed us together so that was good at least. Now I travel a ton with my current company and always have my own room.
Ugh, I would hate this too. I work for the government and have not been asked to share, but I know my agency used to make people share, and women I know in a sister agency were just told they needed to share if they both wanted to attend a conference. Total BS.
Love of my life baby boy born 11/11. One and done not by choice; 3 years of TTC yielded 4 MMC and 2 CPs, through 4 IUIs and 2 IVFs. Focusing on making the world a better place instead...and running.
I should mention there are tons of funny stories as a result...boss walking naked in room, coworker with sleep apnea, guy who left his underwear on the sink...
No, this is horrifying.
No, I've never had to share a room. There's rumor of going to this. I'm pretty sure people will revolt.
When I worked for a charity, yes, we did. It was an effort to keep overhead down, and we generally all liked each other. The men generally got their own rooms, though, because there were only 2, one of whom was the Executive Director, and the E.D. got his own room. Presumably, had there been 2 lower-tier males, they would have shared.
I'd be pissed if I had to share in a for-profit environment, though.
In past years for our annual customer conference, they've required room sharing. They didn't this year, but it was in Vegas which has infinity hotel rooms. Not sure what will happen next year (it's in Austin, TX).
Post by rootbeerfloat on Nov 17, 2015 17:30:23 GMT -5
Years ago when I worked for a non-profit, we did have to share at a conference. (When I traveled with just the ED for other events, then I didn't because obviously she got her own room.) It wasn't so bad since we were all young women, but I'm glad I've never had to do this in any job since.
It's a small company and the owners are very outdoorsy. They don't see anything wrong with it. It's the only lodging option that is centrally located for everyone. And no alcohol.
It's a small company and the owners are very outdoorsy. They don't see anything wrong with it. It's the only lodging option that is centrally located for everyone. And no alcohol.
I've voluntarily shared with a female colleague with whom I'm close before, but that's because I get the savings in my own research account so I can stretch a grant further that way. So, a direct benefit to me and based on my choice.
Post by compassrose on Nov 17, 2015 18:42:27 GMT -5
I don't share a room now, but I did as a grad student and as a postdoc.
I offer to pay for half the cost of a room for my grad students at a conference and they can choose whether to share (I pay for flights and conference fees and per down). As a grad student, my advisor would reimburse up to $1500 for any conference and it was on our dime after that.
Post by LoveTrains on Nov 17, 2015 19:08:09 GMT -5
I have had to share a room once while on a trip. It wasn't too awful as it was with a colleague who is a good friend of mine, but then we had to put a third colleague in the room and ggot a roll away bed and it took up the entire room!
My boss and I were talking about travel and budgetary concerns and he asked me if I had ever worked at a school where there was hotel room sharing. I must have given him the most ridiculous look because he immediately retracted and was like OK, you are right, NO to room sharing.
They have frozen travel for two years. To be able to go to a conference, I would agree to share a room.
They made you share rooms with men? And you had to share a bed?? WTF kind of company do you work for?
I work in administration at a small, private college. I agreed to share rooms (not a bed) with male colleagues in order to have funding to attend conferences.
Like five years ago I was asked to share for a conference because rooms were sold out. The other woman said yes and I said, eh no thanks. Lol. Nothing against her, just didn't want to share a room with anyone.
Post by crashgizmo on Nov 17, 2015 21:10:19 GMT -5
I work for a non profit and it depends on your level in the organization. I am the ED so I don't have to share, but my staff does. For our annual retreat, sometimes my team gets put with people from other states they don't know. I hate it, but it's not my decision.
We do not, but we do a ton of work for a large Fortune 100 company, and it's their corporate policy to share a hotel room if two people of the same gender are traveling together. That policy extends to their consultants. Thankfully, my company just pays the extra hotel room if two of us are traveling together.
I agree with the previous poster who said this is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Ugh. I recently got back from a trip with shared rooms in a cabin with colleagues. I was completely dreading it - but it ended up not being as bad as I feared. The day was packed, so really was only in the room to sleep.
Many years ago right out of college, a male coworker and I were supposed to attend training out of town--and share a hotel room. I was about 24, single, and ready to mingle (not with him!). He was 15 years older and married with a couple of kids. Ummm...No. Neither of us were comfortable with it, yet the company was firm in their decision b/c they were cheap. It took his wife coming to the office to chew out our boss to get two different hotel rooms. I was prepared to stay with a friend in that town if we were forced to share. We got separate rooms, and I stayed an extra day to visit with my friend.
I don't travel much anymore for business, but I've never had to share a hotel room since.