A good employee travel policy is essential for business travel. Business travel can be great for business so long as everything goes smoothly. A bad business trip can ruin an important deal.
Establishing a good travel policy is the only way to ensure that business trips go well. Luckily, designing a stellar employee travel policy is not as hard as you’d think. There are lots of little tricks to creating a good policy.
These are these essential elements of a good travel policy.
Travel Expenses
Travel costs money.
It might seem silly to spend money when you’re trying to make money.
Instead of thinking about travel as an expense, think of it as an investment. So long as things go well, you will see a return.
Spending more money than necessary isn’t always the way to go. Don’t give your employees permission to buy and do whatever they want in Employee Travel Policy.
Understanding travel expenses will help you design a good policy.
There’s a lot of legal jargon behind business travel. Your legal and financial team should look over everything before setting things in stone.
Here is a good overview of how business travel expenses work.
The things you need to understand our meal allowances, extra expenses, and gas mileage. You also need to think about whether or not your employees are eligible for overtime while traveling.
This information might seem overwhelming at first.
It can take a few trips gone wrong to come up with the perfect policy.
Planning Ahead
Planning is key to good travel. If employees are traveling for conferences or regular trips, planning is easy. Annual conferences usually have their locations and information prepared way in advance. You shouldn’t have any surprise expenses for these. Sometimes an employee might need to travel at the last minute. Or maybe an opportunity comes up while an employee is traveling that would be a shame to miss out on.
Leave extra room in your budget for unexpected expenses and changes. Make a backup plan for when things go wrong. Try to be prepared for every possible situation. You’ll never know when something will come up. 
It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.
Individualization
Everyone travels differently. Some travelers prefer to spend more on meals and less on a hotel room. Others might like a stay in a fancy hotel and cheap meals. Give your employees choices when making decisions. One option is to give Employee Travel Policy along to them with an overall budget and let them decide how to allocate it. Having a set hotel or housing cost isn’t a good option.
If an employee is traveling to New York, they will pay more for a hotel room than an employee going to a small town. Involve your staff in the decision-making process. Ask employees what is most important to them. You might not always be able to give them what they want. They will remember that you asked and that you care.
Clear Communication
Make sure employees understand the Employee Travel Policy. Miscommunications can lead to unwanted expenses. If an employee thinks they can spend whatever they want, they will. Here are some tips on how to communicate with your employees. Ask them if they have any questions or concerns. Double-check that they understand the fine print and that there aren’t any gray areas. Don’t be too harsh on an employee if they make a mistake, especially new staff. If an employee messes up while traveling, make sure they understand why. Reimburse employees as quickly as possible. People don’t like waiting to get their money back.
Flexibility
Things go wrong during travel. A flight or even an entire conference could get canceled at the last minute. When this happens, employees will need to make unexpected expenses. Even if they go over budget, they should be reimbursed for emergency situations. Having a flexible travel policy leaves room for mistakes to be made. If things go wrong, stay on the bright side. Think of it as a learning experience or a way to improve your policy. Your employees will be grateful for your understanding
Conclusion
If you haven’t re-evaluated your Employee Travel Policy recently, now is the time. Every business that involves travel needs a great travel policy. If you don’t already have one, you’re behind.
