Technological innovations and cultural shifts continue to change the business travel experience. Keep your travel policy relevant by updating it to cover these five increasingly common scenarios.
Note: Consult with your legal advisor and insurance representative to make sure your travel policy protects the company’s liability and traveler safety appropriately.
1. Bleisure Travel
Calculating accurate budgets is understandably a top priority for finance executives! It can also be more challenging than expected. While you know many company expenses inside and out, the travel industry may fall outside your expertise.
Combining business and leisure travel is increasingly popular, possibly due to increased integration between work and home life. Telecommuting rates have doubled in the last 10 years, and mobile technology makes work accessible nearly everywhere. No wonder it feels more natural to blend business and pleasure!
These sample travel policy provisions can keep boundaries clear:
- Costs incurred for personal trips in conjunction with business travel will not be reimbursed by the Company.
- Employees may not prorate a vehicle rental expense. They must obtain a separate personal contract.
- Combining business and personal travel may interfere with tax deductibility of business-related expenses, and may be taxable to the employee.
2. Airplane Seating
Just because an employee is on a business trip doesn’t automatically mean flying business class.
TravelBank’s algorithm uses economy class tickets as a default, but you may want to specify travel policy exceptions:
- Travelers flying longer than [X] hours or who are [experience level] or higher may book a business-class ticket.
- Employees with relevant health conditions may request supervisor approval to book an Economy Plus or business-class ticket.
3. Alternative Lodging
The sharing economy is full of options that rival more traditional hotel and transport companies, for a lower price. The key is ensuring that business travelers aren’t compromising security for the sake of the best deal.
First, double-check your insurance coverage and liability. You may want to offer Airbnb approval “when hotel costs are prohibitive,” or only with verified “superhosts.”
One feature Airbnb offers is a “For Work” filter for search results. This limits listings to:
- Private rooms or homes
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detector required
- Required amenities such as WiFi, self-check-in, and essential toiletries and linens
- Overall rating of 4.8 or higher
4. Ridesharing
Services like Uber and Lyft can be convenient alternatives to a bus or taxi, or they can be much more expensive, thanks to surge pricing.
To minimize overspending and maximize safety, consider these travel policy guidelines:
- Employees should use the most affordable ground transportation available that is also reasonably accessible.
- Avoid ridesharing services when surge pricing is in effect.
5. Security
Your policy should address your legal and moral “duty of care” when business travelers may encounter:
- Civil unrest or political turmoil
- Increased natural risks (such as extreme temperatures and wildfire risk in California)
- Disease risk (such as COVID-19, or Zika in parts of the Caribbean and Mexico)
Even comparatively commonplace risks can be addressed in your travel policy:
- Offer rail travel as an option when convenience or safety are significant factors.
- Keep traveling employees’ emergency contact information and trip itinerary on file
