Discover effective ways to organize travel for employees and ensure their safety and well-being on business trips.

Arranging travel for employees requires a little more than booking a flight. There are many things you may not consider, including how they can spend company money! Business travel is expensive, but the company is responsible for more than a flight and a hotel.

The organization is responsible for the safety and well-being of employees, even outside of the office. Regular contact, ensuring employees know their responsibilities, and encouragement will help. Creating an organized and efficient workspace in your home office can also make travel preparations smoother. Opting for an office cubicle layout helps centralize tasks and improve communication before employees head out. 

From creating a travel policy to developing an itinerary, here are some suggestions.

A few simple tips can help you plan your business travel. Photo by Maridav via iStock by Getty Images

Safe and Comfortable Transport

It doesn’t matter how far an employee travels; the company is responsible for ensuring they are safe and comfortable. Coordinating transportation for employees can be challenging, especially when schedules and destinations vary. Working with a provider like Phat Limo simplifies logistics and keeps business travel organized and efficient. 

For local or intercity business meetings, you can search for “limousine service near me.” Google results will display any business registered with Google My Business. An excellent feature of this is that customers leave reviews. Read the reviews to find the best transport services in your local area. Of course, you can also search for airline ratings.

Initiate a Company Travel Policy

Managing employees out of the office can be complicated. When staff are present, they generally adhere to the rules. However, you definitely need a company travel policy when workers are away from the business but on the clock. Consider these first for your company’s policy:

• Define the goals of the policy, such as keeping costs down and ensuring employee safety
• Consider the specific needs of an employee, such as disability assistance
• Try to cover everything related to business travel so there’s no room for doubt

A travel policy for employees should be written as a set of specific guidelines. Anything that can help or hinder an employee while traveling must be considered; otherwise, you may be held accountable.

Have an effective company travel policy to avoid pitfalls. Photo courtesy iStock by Getty Images

Use Apps to Manage Travel for Employees

Being out of the office can feel like a holiday for some workers, but it is not. When staff are required to represent the company while traveling, they often have a heavy workload. At the very least, they may need to prepare for the days ahead. One in three workers struggles with the workload when traveling. But there are tons of apps available. Collaboration apps help keep employees in the loop when away, and video conferencing benefits both the business and the worker.

Provide Ongoing Support

Simply sending an employee on a business trip signals the company’s confidence in their ability to perform the role. This can be a significant confidence boost for an employee. However, some can feel like a fish out of water. Ongoing support is necessary to keep an employee on track. This can be as simple as a text exchange or a phone call from their direct manager or supervisors. The last thing you need is an employee traveling so far only to botch their assigned job.

Inquire About Tracking

Okay, so no one is saying you should track employees. This would be an illegal infringement of human rights. However, you can help ensure employee safety by inquiring about transport tracking. For example, if you lease a car service, it is helpful to know if the vehicle is tracked. Knowing that you can find an employee should something go wrong provides peace of mind. It isn’t uncommon for people to get lost in unfamiliar domestic or foreign places.

Travel for Employees Needs a Budget

Of course, business travel is expensive. Any business needs to budget for pretty much everything. And travel, whether by land, air, or sea, is no different. Travel for employees requires a budget that’s within the company’s scope and should also be defined within the policy:

• Make it clear that costs cover transport related to the business only
• Outline what is and isn’t covered by hotel costs, such as the mini-bar
• Ensure employees understand that extras like tips may come out of their pockets
• Any entertainment and additional hospitality are paid at the discretion of the employee
• Transportation for leisure activities while in another location is not covered

It is helpful to think of anything that can cost the company money. Most employees will respect company funds, but some will take liberties. It can help to have workers sign off on the budget so they can confirm they understand what the company will pay for when they travel.

Use the Same Suppliers

It is a logistical task to arrange employee flights and transportation. However, it gets easier the more you do it. One reason is that you know what to expect when you use the same suppliers. Business vehicle companies, for example, may offer discounts for continued use of their service. The same applies to other transport services, such as airlines. Many of these businesses reward loyalty, reducing costs and improving your staff experience.

Check Earned Rewards

In addition to loyalty programs, many airlines and primary transport services allow you to earn rewards. However, use business/commercial services, as non-commercial rewards may not apply. Most major transport operations have separate business services. Rewards could include reduced rates, air miles accrual, or enhanced services for your employees. Of course, the rewards rely on using the same service repeatedly, so ensure you find good ones!

When you support your employees, they are more likely to complete their work while traveling for business. Photo by monkeybusinessimages via iStock by Getty Images

Include Departments in Travel for Employees

Interdepartmental issues can be a bane for modern businesses, and budget efficiency is essential. In the US alone, domestic business travel costs companies around $110 billion per year—that doesn’t include international flights! One key way to ensure smooth execution is to involve finance and administration in major travel decisions. These are more closely linked than people realize, reducing errors when working together. 

Provide an Accurate Itinerary

Providing minimal information to an employee in an unfamiliar place isn’t fair. Not everyone is accustomed to travel, and some even experience travel anxiety. A detailed and informative itinerary will help your staff understand where they need to be, when, and how to get there:

• Ensure employees know where they need to be at a given time
• Provide transportation details and funds so employees can be in attendance
• Ensure employees are provided with access details, such as clearance badges

Anyone would struggle on a business trip without the necessary information. It is the corporation’s responsibility to arrange transportation to and from the locations where employees need to be. This includes prior arrangements with recipient companies that should expect a visit.

Secure the Necessary Visas

Imagine sending a skilled worker to another country only to find they are being sent back due to a clerical oversight! That’s a massive waste of time and money. It could also be very embarrassing for the business’s reputation. Work Visas are necessary when sending someone to another country to perform a task for which they will be paid. Without this, your company would be violating the law, and the employee could be in legal trouble without the required documentation.

You rely on your cell phone at every stage of your business travels. Photo by Ridofranz via iStock by Getty Images

Summary

Safety and comfort should be a priority when arranging travel for employees on business. This is especially true of ground vehicles. However, there also needs to be a budget to ensure employees don’t overspend and are aware of their responsibilities. Before you do anything, you need to arrange work visas. Without the necessary Visas for work in other countries, employees will be denied access and can even be detained. This is a big waste of time and money on the trip.

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