Do you shudder at the thought of building a business travel policy from scratch? Does the mere mention of ‘policy’ have you running for the hills? If so, you’re not alone.
Building a comprehensive business travel policy for your company can be daunting, especially if you're starting from the ground up. But don't worry; Corporate Traveller and our travel managers have got you covered when it comes to your corporate travel policy.
From setting clear goals to prioritising traveller safety, we’ll cover everything you need to know to create a corporate travel policy that works for you. So take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee, and let's dive in.
Psst – Download the business travel policy template builder we've created to help you get started!
First things first – what are the goals of your business travel policy?
Let's hit the road - what's the destination of your corporate travel policy?
Crafting a corporate travel policy is like charting a course through the South African bushveld. You need a clear direction to reach your desired destination.
Before you embark on drafting or updating your company travel policy, take a moment to pinpoint your top two or three goals. Are you aiming to conserve travel expenses on business travel to invest in growth opportunities? Or perhaps you're looking to simplify expense tracking and administrative tasks.
By marking these goals on your corporate travel policy map, you ensure a smooth journey that leads you straight to your desired outcomes, much like navigating through the bushveld with a clear sense of direction, efficiency and streamlined processes.
What to include in your business travel policy
Now that you know what you want from your corporate travel policy, let’s talk about what one should look like.
A well-planned corporate travel policy answers all questions about company travel, including everything you want employees to know AND be accountable for. Without this framework (and great travel management software to support it), business travel can quickly spiral into a free-for-all mess.
A starter company travel policy could include basic instructions on:
Capture your instructions for each expense category in a document (like a business travel policy template) that can be shared and developed with a travel management company (TMC). It’s also a good idea to share this document internally and potentially with one or two regular travellers in your organisation to sense check.
1. Booking information
| How and where should travellers arrange their travel bookings? | What type of approval is needed, and through which channel? | What information needs to be included when making a booking? For example, project number, cost centre, GL code, or reason for travel. | How would you prefer booking changes to be made? | |
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When creating a corporate travel policy, it's important to outline the entire booking process—and yes, we mean the entire process. Your company travel policy should cover everything from approved tech for booking and steps for change requests to the importance of tracking and recording all travel bookings. And don't forget the details!
Make sure your employees keep their information up to date and know what information, such as their job number or department, needs to be included with their profiles. This will help with budgeting and travel expenses cost control and make it simple to manage changes or cancellations.
Read more:
2. Transportation
Domestic Flights
| What are your company’s preferred domestic airlines? | What is your company’s booking policy for domestic air travel? | What is your company’s policy regarding types of domestic airfares? | How do your travellers settle payments for domestic air travel? | |
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International Flights
| What is your company's preferred international airline? | What is your company’s booking policy for international air travel? | What is your company’s policy regarding types of international airfares? | How do your travellers settle payments for international air travel? | Is pre-booking approval required for international trips, and if so, who is responsible for granting it? | |
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Car Hire / Ground Transport
| What is your company’s preferred car hire supplier? | What type of vehicle does your company prefer? | What type of car hire insurance would your company prefer? | Should the traveller refuel the car before returning it? | How do your travellers settle payments for car hire? | What is your company’s preferred taxi/transfer supplier? | |
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Transportation travel expenses can include air travel, train or bus tickets, car hire, and taxi or ridesharing services. A comprehensive travel and expense policy should be clear about which types of transportation are allowed and what limits are in place.
For example, team members may be allowed to rent a car for up to a certain cost per day or only use a ridesharing service for a business trip under a certain distance. Are your employees flying economy class or business class?
The business travel policy should clearly state which class of flight bookings are applicable for reimbursement of travel expenses.
3. Accommodation
| What are your company’s preferred hotels and chains? | What is the maximum allowable room rate for accommodation per night? | How should accommodation bookings be arranged? | How do travellers settle payments for accommodation? | Specify what expenses the business covers, such as the hotel room rate, breakfast, and parking fees. | |
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Do you have a policy on which hotels your employees are allowed to stay in and the maximum per-night rate? And if your employees don't book through an agent, are you driving them to your corporate booking software and defining capping amounts for hotel bookings? Be clear so you're not overpaying for hotel rooms or other accommodations.
You can also define what extra costs your organisation isn't willing to pay for. For example, does your budget include parking fees? What about room service and entertainment expenses? Define these business travel expenses now so you don’t have to dispute them later.
4. Traveller safety and wellbeing
| Who should your travellers contact in case of an emergency? | What information should your travellers carry with them when travelling? For example, Corporate Traveller's contact and travel insurance policy numbers. | Does your company offer guidance on what travellers should do if they encounter difficulties while travelling? | |
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As a travel manager, your duty of care is to prioritise the safety and well-being of your travellers. Putting people at the heart of your company travel policy means taking strategies to ensure their safety and comfort. This includes providing emergency protocols and resources and ensuring that liability and insurance considerations are covered.
But duty of care doesn't stop at general safety concerns. Building inclusive business travel policies is essential to making all employees feel comfortable and welcome while travelling. When filling out your company travel policy template, make extra considerations for people who are more at risk for discrimination, such as minority groups, LGBTQ+ individuals, and travellers with accessibility needs.
Remember: your goal should be to create a corporate travel policy that naturally accommodates your employees' needs rather than one that requires them to need personal accommodations.
Read more about traveller safety & wellbeing:
5. Internal communication
| Where will we house this policy internally? | How frequently will we review your company’s travel policy? | Which communication channels will be utilised, and how will the policy and updates be communicated to staff? | |
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So, you've written your corporate travel policy? Congrats! Now, how are you going to get your employees to care about it?
It's important to consider how you'll get the word out about your company travel policy before it's finalised. Think about training sessions or a communication channel to keep everyone aware of the corporate travel policy and its contents.
You'll also make sure you communicate the corporate travel policy to the business leaders in finance or human resources. Once your company travel policy is in place, set up a timeline for review and revision (we recommend you check back at least annually). And when updates are made, be sure to communicate those changes clearly to your employees.
Build a foundation and review your business travel policy as your company grows to make sure your programme runs efficiently and keeps on budget long term.
