Evolving your corporate travel policy is a strategic step to address today’s business travel challenges: cost control, sustainability, employee safety, traveler experience, and adaptation to a hybrid, post-COVID work environment.
Below is a structured approach to effectively evolve your travel policy.
1. Assess the current situation
- Analyze existing data: travel frequency, costs, destinations, suppliers, incidents
- Identify weak points: inconsistencies, policy abuse, lack of flexibility, traveler dissatisfaction
- Consult key stakeholders:
- Employees: expectations, pain points
- Finance: budget objectives, reporting needs
- Security: travel tracking, duty of care
- CSR teams: environmental requirements
- HR: well-being, work-life balance
2. Define new objectives
Adapt the policy to your current challenges:
- Cost reduction: spending caps, centralized bookings
- Flexibility: more adaptable rules for remote work and blended business/personal travel
- Sustainability: prioritizing rail over air, incentives to reduce carbon footprint
- Safety: reliable partners, insurance coverage, traveler tracking
3. Review operational rules
- Bookings: via an online booking tool / SBT or an offline TMC
- Preferred transportation modes: rail / air / car
- Authorized accommodation categories: star rating, price caps, distance from the work location
- Per diem or actual expense reimbursement?
- Frequent or long-haul travel: managing fatigue, jet lag, and recovery
- Approval and workflows: who approves what, and when?
4. Integrate a CSR dimension
- Encourage responsible travel: group travel, rail over air, accommodations with credible sustainability labels
- CO₂ indicators per trip
- Carbon offset programs via external partners
- Highlight avoided travel (video conferencing, hybrid solutions)
5. Digitize travel management
- Use a single travel management platform
- Automate approvals and reporting
- Deliver a seamless traveler experience: mobile app, notifications, centralized travel documents
6. Communicate and train
- Clearly communicate the updated policy through:
- A clear and concise travel policy charter
- FAQs, webinars, and internal workshops
- Training for travel managers and travelers on the new rules
- Regular feedback loops to adjust the policy
- Rely on your partners for:
- Best practices
- Benchmarks
- Workshops
7. Measure and adjust
- Implement KPIs: average cost per trip, policy compliance rate, CO₂ emissions, employee satisfaction, usage rate of negotiated agreements
- Conduct quarterly or annual reviews.
- Adjust the policy based on feedback and changes in the environment (e.g. geopolitical tensions, pandemics).
Tip:
consider a segmented travel policy by traveler profile (executives, field teams, consultants, etc.) to improve consistency and efficiency.
Evolving your corporate travel policy means finding the right balance between cost control, responsibility, safety, and traveler experience.
To structure this approach and adapt it to your business needs, expert guidance makes all the difference.
Want to go further? Talk to an Hcorpo expert to rethink your corporate travel policy.
Romain Lavabre
Account Manager Hcorpo