In the face of new COVID-19 variants, your travel policies will likely have to be more flexible going forward, experts advise.
With the Great Resignation happening at companies across the country, many workers are leaving their jobs to look for positions in more supportive environments — and that includes companies with travel policies that are in line with their needs and comfort levels during the pandemic.
This means you’ll have to let your higher-ups know that while cost is still an important consideration, it can’t be the end all be all anymore.
Keeping employees happy
Now more than ever, employees are seeing their company’s business travel policies as an extension of the organization’s culture. They expect the values their companies champion to be present in these policies.
Example: If the top brass say they value people’s work-life balance, they shouldn’t have travel policies requiring employees to fly out on weekends for business trips.
And a company that values productivity also wouldn’t make an employee choose a flight with multiple layovers simply because it’s a bit cheaper than a direct flight.
Not only should your travel policies line up with your company’s mission, they should also consider people’s general comfort and enjoyment.
You don’t want employees racking up expenses via five-star restaurants or first-class flights, but it’s key to consider not just the raw costs of travel, but employee satisfaction. And HR will be the first to hear if workers aren’t happy with their options.
With that in mind, in may be smart to get HR, Payroll and the C-Suite together to come up with more employee-friendly travel policies.
You could consider allowing employees to take the morning off after a late night flight, giving them a broader financial range for certain travel expenses instead of a hard number, offering them more choices on car rentals (e.g., electric cars/hybrids) or allowing them to take PTO during business trips for downtime.