New to the company and wasn't sure if I heard my manager correctly, but are you allowed to bring your spouse with you on business if they're paying their own way?
Hell yes, the managed markets people have been doing this for ever. Long weekends, vacations, holidays added to the front or back end of made up business trips or worthless meetings. Golf fees, meals, hotel, rental cars, airport parking, tolls, gasoline, tickets to theme parks, ... the list is endless and the people approving their expenses keep getting promoted. A simple audit would uncover this truth. Maybe they don't want to know the truth.
Wasn't trying to rip off the company, but was wondering if it was ok to bring your spouse along on some of the more fun trips!
"Deanna 68" - you really want to go ANONYMOUS on this board. AZ won't like the fact that you're on here. If you are new to industry, just a friendly heads up.
Ours brings her children too. Does anyone think it is suspicious that her territory is in the SE and she travels west of the Mississippi for business visits? Seriously, who is approving this stuff?
It would be considered well out of the norm and I cannot ever remember anyone else doing this so I would say no. It is not who we are. We suck at a lot but I agree that your spouse should stay back in the kitchen where she belongs.
Meetings are where most married managers and their married subordinates hook up. If you want to move up in pharma leave your spouse behind. Speaking of behinds it will only hurt for a minute. Anal isn't cheating.
Why bring a spouse when your destination has a wide variety of girlfriends to choose from? Ever heard of a work wife? They bring a whole new meaning to "role play" during business meetings.
My wife asked me where I picked up some "new moves" after our trip to Vegas. Not everything stays in Vegas my friends. Everybody wins.
Do what the managed markets people have been doing for years. Bring out the spouse and kiddies before, during and after the meeting, and charge the additional meals, hotel, rental car, parking etc. as a business expense. They just claim they stayed over for business reasons and their idiot bosses have been approving them. Perhaps they do this too.
They did an audit last year on these bozos but nobody seems to know who got axed because of it or if they were allowed to leave voluntarily. They must not have been very aggressive or they could have fired over half of them.
DONT BRING YOUR SPOUSE TO MEETINGS!!!! First rule of pharma meetings: It's not cheating if you're in a different time zone, it's just an "event" from another time....see what I did there? hey, you're not lying!
Make a list of those who left to seek other opportunities or to spend more time with their families. Then ask yourself why someone would give up a six figure income in a job where you leave home one day each week and can rip off the company by expensing everything from family meals to family stays in 4 star resorts.
