I am being told that I must travel to Sweden for a week long team meeting. I don't want to go, my wife doesn't want me to go because I take care of our new baby in the evening and the mornings. If there is some law on this I'd like to know about it. If I have to I'll tell them to fire me - I'm not going.

I would say if is not (or was not) mentioned in your job discription at the time ( or anytime after hire) you do not have to go.

2 words: "Family leave". If that doesn't work for you, I'll be happy to go in your place.

California is an at will state for employment. So no one can force you to do anything, but then again, you don't have to work for them.

Its a fine line for an employer and employee. Go, an you have to deal with issues at home. Don't go, you could be fired or your advancement may be limited.

Are you sure you don't want to go?

oooh,ooohhh, pick me, pick me.. I'm always up for some volleyball.

I've been through this situation before with small children in the house and my wife not wanting me to leave for 1 or 2 weeks. It is a tough call and your employer may or may not have written this into your work description. I don't have a work discription so anything is possible for me.

The one out you would have is "family hardship" where you are the primary caretaker in the evenings. My company never sends folks places if they claim some sort of family or personal hardship.

However in my case, I tried to explain this to my wife: In these times of tightening employment and layoffs, if my company wants me to go someplace, then they look at me as a valued asset. If I pass on this opportunity, then I may get passed for future opportunities as well and may not be looked as as such a valued asset (or just an ass if you remove the -et from asset).

I never wanted to travel much but the job "required" it. I could have turned down travelling, but who knows if I may have passed up future opportunities as well.

On a personal side, if I mention places including England, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong; these are foriegn lands that I've visited without spending a single dime of my own. Chances are that I would never have visited these places on my own.

Spoke

See if your state has something similar to Oregons:
http://www.boli.state.or.us/BOLI/TA/T_FAQ_Tafaq.shtml

Funny thing is I don't have a job description, and I have asked (almost begged) to be laid off. They (GE) aquired my old company and proceded to lay off 95% of the company. I don't have anything worthwhile to do anymore so I asked to be laid off 6 months ago - turns out I am to "valuable" to let go. The next few days will be interesting.

P.S. Never ever take a job at GE - it has been the worse job I have ever had by far. The management of this place is right out of Dilbert. I can't believe they make any money.

I agree with spoke as I myself travel 30-50% mostly Asia.

If you want to advance in your current job... Then go and get a nanny for the week. You will get noticed at work for going on the assignment and you get to travel to a very interesting place for free.

If not I would start looking elsewhere for a job as this may not be the only time that travel comes up.

That's what my boss told me to do. My boss is great - his boss (my manager) is an ass (and 3000 miles away.) I have to front the airfare on (on MY credit card) top of all this crap.

With all due respect, if that is the case - Go find another job, or , take advantage of the situation and work your way up the ladder and the income chain until you do find a better company to work for...

I am not trying to to be crase or rude, but it appears you may need to change your paradigm...

Stop thinking like an "employee", and start thinking like the owner of a multimillion dollar company, even if it is just you -

Good luck in whatever you do -

And, As far as fronting the airfare as an employee... BULLS!!T...
I know that sounds contridictary to my statement above, but
that would not be good business practice on your part...
You do not get compensated to finance a multibillion dollar corporation -
I guarantee you thats not in your job description -

If you're asking to be laid off - I'd just play hardball and say you can't go because a) you don't use credit cards and you're not willing to front the money and B ) you have a child to look after.

I don't think they can force you to go unless you were made aware of it before you took the job...

What do you do anyways - we might be hiring if you have the right skillz....

Just my 2c.

California is the land of "different than the other 49 state's" laws, so keep in mind, CA law may be different, BUT:

If you are an employee at will (no contract, and non-union), they can fire you for any reason other than race, religion, or gender. If they have an employee hand book that has a policy related to this issue, they need to have a good reason to deviate from it, or you can normally hold them to it's terms, even if it has the standard waiver on the last last page that says it does not create a contractual obligation for them.

The Family Leave Act might help you, but based on your post, I doubt it. I can't see any facts that would help you in that regard. The biggest leverage I see for you here comes from the fact they are requiring you to front the money, and accept re-embursement later. "Asking" you to is ok, "requiring" is not. I can pretty much guarantee you there is language in your state labor regulations that prohibit that, and may even be a criminal act (It would be in Illinois).

BTW, My clients all seem to think I am a lawyer, so I must be.

They cant require you to use your own credit card for company expenses unless your a contract employee. Tell them you have cut them up due to some identity theft concerns.

I use to work for GE and travelled alot. I never heard of them requiring you to front the air fare. Maybe if you did tell them it would create a hardship they would either not require you to go or offer some type of assistance monetarily to hire child care.

What division are you in?

my employer, the US Government, requires that I acquire (based on PERSONAL CREDIT) and maintain a VISA specifically for "official use" - travel expenses really. Ask any Guvment worker about it...

any chance you can take your wife and Logan???

free hotel !!!

Yeah stay a few extra days and take the wife and kid whens the next chance you all can go as cheap???

Thanks for all the input. I wish I could bring my wife and son, but she works and it's in less than 2 weeks. I found out today. Airfare is $1700+.



I do think this way (and I'm using the "downtime" to start my own company) that's why it just kills me to see this kind of crap going on. What would you do if one of your "valued" employees told you that he has nothing to do? I put myself out of work fixing stuff - that's my job. Normally I would have a constant flow of new stuff that needed to be fixed but with R&D and manufacturing all gone there isn't any new stuff. My new manager doesn't know the bussiness at all, he is from the locomotive division, he knows nothing at all about biotech - he freely admits it.
The managers don't ask how things should be done from the people who do know and dictate from above. I want to get laid off vs. quit because everyone that got laid off got a great serverance package - and I earned it more than alot of people. One of my co-workers who should have been fired a long time ago got "garden leave" (he stayed home for 2 months getting full pay) because he was a loose canon and would make a huge mess at a customer site, then he got almost 6 months severence pay.



If I had a travelling job it would be OK - but I'm just an office geek, I've never travelled for GE. If I traveled I would have a corporate credit card. I'm in the healthcare service division.


That's the plan. I play engineer at work, mostly a "hindsight" guy that goes around fixing stuff (and documenting it) that others caused because they were in a hurry to get it done.

Steve, maybe it's time to tell them the truth about your fear of flying.

I worked for GE for 16 years never had to put a dime out of pocket to travel. Your current management sounds like a butt head. As far as the severance package GE is not know for giving big buy outs. The packages other employess got were more than likely funded by your old company as part of the deal. So if your hanging around waiting for the Big payout dont count on it... Its time to move on

BTDT...

My wife worked (past tense) for a company that was bought out by GE. They did the same thing there. But we got a trip to Finland out of the deal.

Good luck... update your resume.

I regret not taking Sherryl with me when I was sent to Ireland for a business trip....just didn't think about her going until it was too late....

914 content....I almost "always" wear a 914 related shirt while flying, well, the airline "misplaced" my luggage for a day and I had to go to Seagate (the customer) wearing a funky-16hour-flight-worn T-shirt

And sinking - I just found out the meeting is on a cruise ship! The trip actually sounds like fun - if I didn't have a baby.



I know the "package" isn't very good but I still want my 3 months! (almost 3 months - I would get 2 weeks plus one week for every year worked (9 years) so 11 weeks total plus medical for a year while unemployeed.

Yup. A Special US Gub'ment Visa just for travel expenses. And a separate one for material purchases.

-Josh2