IT Employee in the Netherlands, scheduled for attending in a conference in Germany running mon-wed. Looking at the programme, we initially decided on attending 2 out of 3 days of the conference.
Knowing from the past that there are usually an informal meal and drinks with other attendees on the second day, we proposed to our manager to visit the conference, including the meal and drinks as valuable relationships can be formed during those times and then return on wednesday.
While discussing, he remarked that we would then be able to return to work at what would originally be the 3rd day of the conference. He was not opposed to us staying, but expected us back in the office somewhere during wednesday. I initially treated this as a joke, but he was serious.
Seeing as we already travel to the conference on sunday morning, thereby giving up part of our weekend, and that the travel is 2,5-3 hours back with the earliest convenience leaving aroud 9 am, I feel that travelling back for 2,5 hours, then going to the office around 12, leaving around 5 doesn't really make for a productive day. On top of that, I would still be hauling around a suitcase because dropping that off would mean another hour of travel time.
Is this a reasonable request? Or would it just make more sense to take a more comfortable time to travel home and consider the day a write off? How would you have treated / handled this?
Note: It was already resolved in a different manner, looking for advice on how other people would treat this in the future.