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Many businesses require employees to travel, whether it’s meeting a client, exhibiting at an event, or visiting different office locations.
But without a thoughtful work travel policy in place, business trips can quickly become a source of stress - do people have to get their own travel insurance? Will they have to fly early? Is the hotel in a safe neighborhood? Will their employers cover travel expenses?
That’s why it’s essential for organizations to develop a detailed travel policy that not only sets clear guidelines for how those traveling should manage their trips, but also prioritizes their well-being and safety.
In this guide, we'll detail how to create a corporate travel policy by identifying what a travel policy should cover and the importance of ensuring employees understand both how to manage their travel and how they will be supported if they have any concerns.
So, how do you make sure your travel policy is clear, comprehensive, and truly supports your employees? The key is to involve them in the policy-making process. By gathering feedback from frequent travelers, you can gain valuable insights into their needs and concerns, ensuring the policy addresses real-world scenarios and challenges. This collaborative approach not only makes the policy more effective but also fosters a sense of trust and appreciation among your team.
Furthermore, a well-defined travel policy should be a living document, regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changing travel landscapes, employee feedback, and company needs. Technology can also play a crucial role in supporting your policy; travel management platforms can streamline booking, expense tracking, and provide real-time updates on travel advisories, making adherence easier for employees and oversight simpler for management. Ultimately, a robust travel policy is an investment in both employee well-being and operational efficiency.
What should a travel policy cover?
A simple travel policy should lay out clear, straightforward instructions for how employees should book their trips. It should also include guidelines that support their well-being while they’re away on business, especially when it comes to staying safe and keeping in regular contact.While department heads and other stakeholders usually help shape the policy, it’s also a good idea to talk to employees who travel often. Their input can be especially valuable if you want to make sure the policy truly supports their needs and well-being.
The policy will usually include:
Booking procedure and approved corporate travel company for travel services
Allowable cost of booking (hotels, airfare, ground transportation)
Special exceptions or rules for more expensive cities or routes
Approval process for trips that exceed typical limitations
Permitted and not permitted expenses
Duty of care vendor or procedures
Preferred company vendors
Reimbursement process
Travel debriefing process
Travel insurance carrier
Our guide to corporate travel policies details all you need to know for creating a policy for your business, and we have a free, comprehensive template as a useful example.
Person holding a tablet displaying a "Company travel policy template" with a stylus, sitting on a slatted bench.
Policies that incorporate employee well-being
Traveling for work can be stressful. Being away from family and the comfort of daily routine can take a toll, and for some, it might even make existing mental health challenges or concerns worse.
Not only are people traveling more frequently for work, but they are also having more meetings on each trip, with research from Opinium and commissioned by World Travel Protection stating that this is happening for over half (54%) of US employees.
This same research also highlights that safety is a concern, with 61% of US business travelers believing their employer could do more to ensure their safety when away, and a further 70% wanting more check-ins from senior management to ensure their well-being.
So, what should employers do?
Duty of care for business travelers
When your team’s on the road for work, it’s your responsibility, both legally and ethically, to look after their safety and well-being. That means having a solid employee well-being plan in place, one that considers both expected and unexpected risks. It helps keep your people safe while reducing your company’s legal and compliance risks.
This kind of planning is called duty of care, and it should be a central part of your travel policy.
These responsibilities include:
Health and safety
Fire safety
Discrimination and bullying
Stress
Violence
Food safety
We’ve created a full duty of care guide for businesses to create their own policy, which details how to write one and some useful tips and tools that businesses can use.
One of the key things to consider before drafting your own duty of care policy is to include those who will be traveling in the process. Do they have any specific concerns? What will help their well-being whilst being away? Here are some things to consider: