Globally, Travel Managers have struggled with the delicate topic of mandating adherence to their company’s Travel Policy – the questions of whether to and how? I propose NOW is the ideal time to actually do it! Travelers in every company are acutely aware that costs are under the microscope.  And now, more than ever, they will be more receptive to cost cutting changes – because they have to be!   Now is the time to influence positive change in your travelers’ behavior!  But it goes beyond that. 
 
Mathew Talbot

Mattew Talbot

Make a change in your corporate culture; so that when the economy rebounds, your business will be poised for even stronger results!

Today, many companies have a travel policy that is more of a guideline than anything else. However,  the best in class companies mandate AND strictly enforce the travel policy. In the AirPlus Data Lab, where Travel Managers visit to learn how to best utilize their data we’ve found that the corporate travel managers who’ve clearly communicated their policies, and then backed them up with financial repercussions, are succeeding.
Examples of real policies include:

  • Booking outside the designated Travel Agency - No reimbursement 
  • Failure to use the required form of payment - No reimbursement
  • Using a non-preferred partner - reimbursed at the partner’s equivalent rate
  • Not submitting expense reports within one month of the trip - No reimbursement

Extreme?  Yes, these are extremely tough mandates, but they do influence behavior in the travel policy’s direction.   Maybe these are too strict for some but the point is the time is right now for Corporate Travel Managers to influence change, building even more credibility to their role within the company.

Matthew Talbot
AirPlus International Inc.
Product Marketing & Business Intelligence Technology Manager