For the last 2 years travel has seen a rise in graphs due to the opening of destinations worldwide and reduction of restrictions in most of the countries. And it has become quite visible in both leisure and business travel segments. Now that business travellers and going beyond virtual workspaces and online functions, it is important to consider the safety aspects of business travel, reducing travel risks and revising travel expenses in a very strategic manner. It means your travel policy needs to be designed in a way that it ensures your employees' safety with an improved duty of care.
At Lufthansa City Center Travels & Rentals, our travel experts have considered 13 most vital points that you must include while creating a corporate travel policy.
Permissible Travel:
To manage the travel demand, companies now need to assess what is permissible travel across various destinations and what are the travel guidelines that a business traveller needs to adhere while planning for travel. In order to assess the present scenario, the business or the enterpise needs to internally review its preparedness, traveler's confidence, Govt. permissions and entry rules of the destination. This will determine what is permissible for every trip request.
Creating An Extraordinary Safe Travel Policy:
Safety in a travel, be it for leisure or business, is of paramount importance. Companies will need to work with HR, Legal, Security and other stakeholders to create a one-page, high level travel policy which needs to answer questions like –
· Have you clearly defined essential travel?
· How safe is it to travel to a specific destination?
· Who is allowed to travel and for what reasons?
Proper answers to these questions will bring clarity to the entire travel process and will facilitate to create a safe travel policy.
Safety & Well Being:
Companies may need to check a traveler's pre trip, on trip and post trip health status. Hence it is important that you get familiar with the duty of care tools from an established travel management company. Also, organizations will need to connect with the Govt. approved testing labs to generate satisfactory results if at all they are required to produce in travelling destinations. Moreover, you have to be in constant touch with your traveller / employee during the travel period only to ensure that the person is safe and working towards the objectives of the travel. In such cases you can take assistance from an expert travel management company and offer a consistent travel support with duty of care tools
Traveler Engagement:
Constant engagement is extremely important as one needs to listen to the travelers, understand their concerns and mutually find solutions to address the same. For example, in case of destinations that are travelled for first time will create many experiences that can be favourable or unfavourable. Engaging with the traveller will help you in finding solutions to the pertinent issues and enhance experiences in future.
Choosing Air Travel:
For travelling to certain destinations, choosing air travel would be wise in the present scenario. Airlines have revised their policies as well and making diligent efforts to ensure safety of their passengers. Many airports have also introduced contact less check points at various domestic and international destinations facilitating the safety of the passengers. “Digi Yatra” is one such initiative by the Indian Government by which the passengers will no longer need to show their tickets / boarding passes at the check points of the airport. It is therefore wiser to book an air ticket through your Travel Management Company (TMC) who will provide essential solutions as per your need. Preferences will be given to airlines who maintain high safety and hygiene standards
Hotels:
Upgrade your hotel booking policies to select hotels which offer touch less technology for physical interaction, room only food services, and spaced-out common areas. In case companies opt for alternate accommodation like Air BNB, they may also look for accommodation which offer a buffer of 3 nights between guest stays to eradicate any risk of contaminated surfaces. Top of the hotels have already introduced their hygiene regime where utmost safety of the travelers is taken care of. From bedrooms to common areas the policy covers it all.
Cars:
Rental cars will play a pivotal role as most of the companies have ramped up their safety protocols like airlines and hotels. Instead of choosing trains, buses or cab apps where you may compromise your safety, it is better to have rented transport or multiple rented transportation services in a day that adheres to hygiene standards. Top of the line travel management companies like Lufthansa City Center Travels & Rentals takes good care of the ground transportation keeping in mind the safety of the travellers.
Self-Booking Tool:
Online booking tool is a complete solution for the enterprises those who are looking for contactless travel booking, self-usage, and wishes to keep a track of the bookings internally. The Self Booking Tool of Lufthansa City Center Travels & Rentals serves the purpose as it reduces contacts between the traveler and travel desk with pre-defined company policies, in built payment solutions, expense tracking, online check-ins, online tickets, boarding passes etc. With comprehensive report generation from the tool one can get valuable insights that are significant to make better travel decisions for future.
Reduce Hard Copy Bills:
Many corporate still insist on submission of hard copies of bills. Vendors such as hotels, cars and Travel Management Companies must be advised to submit soft copies of invoices to reduce touch points.
Duty Of Care Tools:
Travel managers and travelers need to adopt Duty Of Care tools to stay updated with pre-trip and on-trip travel alerts which help in reaching out to travellers for support if required. These tools will update about the weather conditions in destinations, any political unrest or possible disruptions in destinations and much more that will help a traveller to make advance planning or make last minute changes for safety and seamless travel.
Insurance:
Travel insurance is one of the most essential documents that you cannot really ignore especially in cases of international destinations. Insurance is essential for all types of trips including international and domestic travel as this will provide peace of mind and support both to the traveler and the company in any emergent situation. Click here to read more about Top 9 Benefits of Travel insurance.
24/7 Support:
24/7 travel support is the most essential tools for a business traveller. An experienced travel management company will ensure the travellers’ safety by offering prompt support in cases of
· Loss or theft of documents
· Loss of baggage
· Delay or cancellation of flights
· Last minute changes to travel plan
And much more
A constant support is required to travelers in different time zones at any given point of time to have any immediate readdress of services and support. It is important that your TMC provides you 24/ 7/ 365 days support.
Entry Restrictions & Installation of Apps:
Keep travellers updated about entry restrictions before they start planning their trips. As many countries are easing their borders, it is advised to check whether installation of certain Apps is mandated by local governments.
Being prepared, being aware, will help you and your team to regain confidence to travel. This list is an ongoing work in progress as the situation demands. Start unlocking your travel bags, now is the time to turn up stronger.
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