Latest Updates

11th Nov 2016

5 Easy Steps to Creating a Corporate Travel Policy

Travel, nationally and internationally, is fundamental in meeting many of our business needs, as we engage clients, case out the international market for our companies, and even close important deals.

Astonishingly, a recent survey conducted through the North East of England Business Network, revealed that as many as half of businesses in the region may not have a corporate travel policy, and of those that do, more than two thirds have not been reviewed in the last four years.

An effective travel policy isn’t just about delivering savings, but efficiency, security and productivity too.

There are five steps to creating and keeping an effective corporate travel policy:

1) Involve

2) Draft

3) Implement

4) Measure

5) Review & Update

 

Who to involve when considering a travel policy

Increase buy-in to your travel policy by involving key stakeholders from your business in the process and adopting a collaborative approach

1) Human Resources

2) Finance

3) Travel Bookers

4) Travellers

5) Travel Management Company

 

Drafting your travel policy

1) Identify key objectives; reducing costs, duty of care to staff, supplier management.

2) Consider the logistics of the policy. Will it be one-size-fits-all? Gender specific? What allowances will there be for vulnerable travellers?

3) What level of compliance will your policy demand? And what will be the consequences of non-compliance?

4) Consider what circumstances (if any) when exceptions to the policy will apply and to whom

5) Consider the logistics: Who? What? Where? How?

 

Promote, implement and enforce a travel policy

1) Communicate from a senior level

2) Use the intranet

3) Can a Travel Management Company help to promote?

4) Will you use an online booking solution?

5) Consider using incentives

 

Measure the effectiveness of a travel policy

1) Agree a set of KPIs to measure effectiveness in line with your objectives

2) Devise a mechanism for exception code reporting

3) Create a feedback loop

4) Monitor supplier performance

5) Record incidences of non-compliance

 

Review and update

Companies often make the mistake of writing a travel policy and then forgetting about it.  As your company objectives change, so should your travel policy.

 

For more information on how Travel Bureau can help your business set up a business travel policy that is fit for the future email anne@travelb.co.uk or read about our ‘free travel health checks’ here.