In May 2012, Concur and the Global Business Travel Association released a startling study on business travel productivity versus whether or not a company has a travel policy.
This study shows that, out of 1,000 travellers, 727 achieve their travel objectives in companies that have implemented a travel policy, whereas 786 in a company that does not.
The aforementioned study goes no further, and does not address the reasons for this result. However, it is possible to extrapolate:
- Companies without a travel policy are, on average, smaller than the others. Travelers would have a clearer vision of the travel objectives, in line with the company’s strategy.
- Expenditure thresholds, which are too narrow or restrictive in certain travel policies, do not allow the attraction of customers or partners visited
- The maximum authorized travel classes do not allow the traveler to rest before their meetings at their place of arrival, or require too much recovery time, wasting precious time on the site visited.
On the other hand, the study shows that in the United States, 30% of travelers who violate the travel policy of the companies they work for do so to limit their expenses. Indeed, many travel policies require the use of a booking tool contracted by the company with a Corporate travel agency (American Express Business Travel, Carlson WagonLit, etc.) including, of course, the rates negotiated, but not always the best rates less flexible or on Low-Cost companies.
So what is the solution you say?
Large companies have no choice: they need a framework to avoid overflow, but which can be improved by:
- The implementation of a “good father” management clause for expense reports, authorizing purchases outside the policy when the full cost of these is lower
- The implementation of a priori control of the opportunity of a trip
Small businesses have more leeway. If the implementation of a policy makes it possible to define a framework and to foresee the future, it can sometimes be costly and weigh on the flexibility of the small structure.
The implementation of a management rule “as a good father” with a reduced a priori approval circuit makes it possible to solve most of the problems.
What do you think ? What is your company’s travel policy?