Talk to your boss if you need your own room for a business trip. Photo: TNS/Dreamstime
I’m going on my first business trip in a long time. I’m looking forward to attending the training, but I will be paired up with a colleague. As in roommates. That feels weird and I want my own hotel room for privacy. What should I do?
Talk to your boss and indicate what you just told me: It feels weird and you want your privacy. It’s not clear to me if this is a new post-pandemic policy or if this always was the case, but the company may be trying to save money by spending on the travel and training while cutting back where they can with accommodation costs.
If your boss says this is the policy and you can’t get your own room, for peace of mind and your privacy, you may want to look into the cost on your own. You may want to explore the costs before talking to your boss to have them in your back pocket and decide before the conversation if you’re willing to pick up the cost of having your own space. If the company cannot change its policy, then you can say you will pay the difference. Or look into other accommodations such as a nearby Airbnb or another hotel.
This shows your boss you’re serious about what you need for yourself during this trip and if they can’t accommodate you, you are willing to pay your own way.
Anyway, once this is sorted out hopefully you can immerse yourself into training to get the most out of it. – Tribune News Service/Vicki Salemi
Vicki Salemi is a career coach, author, and speaker.
