Okay, let’s talk about that fuzzy area, the one where work kind of bleeds into not-work. I bumped into this pretty hard last year.
I got sent off to this big industry conference. You know the type. Fly out Monday, back Friday. The official reason was all business: network, learn, find new leads, the usual stuff my company expected. They handed me the corporate card and a daily budget, said “make us proud” or something like that.
So, the first couple of days? Straight business. I hit the keynote speeches, sat through panels that were mostly boring, collected business cards. Did the whole professional schtick. Shook hands, smiled till my face hurt. Standard procedure.
But then things started getting… gray. Evenings were weird. There were official “networking events,” which were okay, but then there were the unofficial things. Vendors inviting small groups out to fancy dinners, way fancier than my usual burger joint budget. Went to one. Was it business development? Or just a free fancy meal and drinks? Honestly, hard to tell. Felt like half-work, half-play.
Then there was the downtime. The conference schedule wasn’t packed wall-to-wall. Had a whole afternoon free on Thursday. Was I supposed to sit in my hotel room and review notes? Seemed like a waste. The city had this cool historic district everyone mentioned. So, I went. Walked around, saw the sights, grabbed some coffee at a local place. Paid cash for the coffee, but the taxi to get there and back? Hmm. Ended up putting it on the company card under ‘local transport’. Felt a bit cheeky, but I reasoned, well, I’m here for work, this is part of the ‘experience’, right? Helps understand the local market? Yeah, thin argument, I know.
And the lines definitely blurred with people too. After the official stuff ended, you’d bump into folks at the hotel bar. Some competitors, some potential clients. The shop talk would slowly fade out after the second drink. Suddenly you’re talking about families, hobbies, complaining about your jobs. Is that still networking? Or just shooting the breeze? Built some rapport, maybe? But also felt like I was off the clock, you know?
Getting the expenses approved was interesting. I was careful. No obvious ‘fun’ stuff listed. Just meals, transport, the hotel. It all went through, no questions asked. But it made me think. The company wants you ‘on’ the whole time you’re away, representing them. But they also give you a budget and send you to potentially interesting places. It’s a setup for this gray zone.
My take? It’s unavoidable. You try to be sensible. Don’t go wild with the company card on personal shopping sprees, obviously. But using a free afternoon to see the place you’re stuck in for a week? Or having a real conversation with an industry peer that isn’t strictly about synergy and deliverables? Seems human. It didn’t hurt my work; probably made the trip less of a grind. But yeah, it’s a slippery slope. You gotta know where your own line is, and hope it matches what the company silently expects. Because usually, nobody spells it out.
