Travel is one of the most common ways for employees to spend their time outside the office. However, a restrictive company travel policy can make things difficult. It can be challenging for employees to get reliable access to specific details.
Your company may not have any policies about employee travel. If that’s the case, it’s essential to establish a formal process or set of rules. That way, you can create clarity and consistency across all travel requests.
In addition, employee opinions on a company’s policy vary greatly. So, you’ll need specific strategies to improve employee sentiment.
Below are five strategies that’ll improve your company’s travel policy.
Table of Contents
1. Make it Easy for Employees to Submit a Request
Employees who are frustrated with a policy look to their manager for solutions. Therefore, it is crucial to make it simple for employees to raise a travel request.
Before dishing out a strict set of guidelines, ensure all employees have easy access to a manager. Offer employees the option to submit requests via email. Or set up a dedicated portal for travel requests. If you want to go further, consider offering an accurate location for travel requests. If it’s online, include a policy outlining how employees can request vacation time.
2. Elaborate on Why Employees Need Travel Approval
Employees should also understand why they need travel approval from their manager. Likewise, they should know why they need their supervisor’s approval. Otherwise, they may get confused when getting asked for it out of the blue.
The easiest way to do this is to create a specific policy. The policy should effectively outline why an employee may require travel approval.
For example, say you’re reviewing the mileage policy in your company. Then, you must clearly understand what you are trying to accomplish. The rules concerning mileage should be clearly outlined.
A practical review examines the current program’s potential benefits and drawbacks. Then, you can devise a viable approach. And you can do this while still accommodating all the necessary policies a company needs.
3. Establish a Timely Approval Process
When an employee submits a request for a trip, they have expectations. For example, they need to know their manager will review it within a reasonable timeframe.
The key is to set a reasonable timeframe that fits the volume of requests. At the same time, you must respect the time required to approve each trip.
Remember that each manager may have a different approach when supporting travel. So, it’s essential to set a standard relevant to your company.
For example, employees will inevitably become frustrated if a manager takes too long to respond to requests. So, by establishing rules for them, you prevent this from happening.
4. Be Transparent About Your Reasons for Refusing Requests
Unless you have a specific reason for refusing a trip, it’s essential to be transparent. If a trip gets denied, detail your reasons for refusing a request.
Proper communication is vital. It reduces confusion when an employee receives a rejection without explanation.
Set up a policy that outlines the reasons for refusing a trip request and the reasons why. Being transparent about why a trip gets declined is essential. It reduces employee frustration when they submit a trip they’re excited to go on, but the manager says no.
5. Offer Flexible Alternatives to Trips
When an employee submits a trip request, they expect the manager to approve it promptly. However, this doesn’t always happen. If the manager takes too long to respond, it can result in negative sentiment towards the company’s travel policy. Then, an employee may have a poor work-performance review.
To avoid issues like this, set up a policy outlining alternatives available. That way, they still have the option of looking to travel but don’t have the budget for a fully-funded trip. With this option, employees can still get the experience that they’re looking for. And, they can go without putting up with the manager’s disapproval.
Conclusion
Travel policies can negatively impact your employees’ morale. Therefore, it’s crucial to establish a clear and consistent approach. You can also improve employee sentiment around your policy. Explain your reasons for denying requests and offering flexible alternatives to trips. Also, keep flexibility for employees in mind. These strategies will help you maintain a fair and consistent approach.
