Covid-19 is perhaps the most disruptful event that has happened to the travel industry in the past decade. According to a Global Business Travel Association poll, " 62% of companies have modified their travel safety and security policies in response to coronavirus", while 55% report having "instituted new trip approval procedures". Before we regain the travelling habits we've had pre-pandemic, adaption is the only option. That is why it is important for companies to not only rethink their travel policies, programs and procedures, but also make sure these are respected by all employees to ensure their safety.
Below is a checklist that will help you review your travel policy and guidelines to apply necessary changes. And if you're building a travel policy from scratch, make sure to check out our free of charge Travel Policy Template.
Plan
- Choose which employees can travel
- Determine who needs approval, and from whom
- Assign types of destinations: local, domestic, or international
- Choose which criteria allow travel: internal, external, meeting size, events
- Determine which countries to ban (e.g. based on quarantine requirement, risk of infection, etc.)
- Define pre-booking requirements: risk assessment, Covid-19 test, waivers
- Inform employees of new procedures
- Consider which type of transportation to privilege
- Urge employees to update their travel profile, especially emergency contact info
- Consider employees' mental health, making sure they are not required to travel if this will affect it in times of crisis
Booking
- Educate employees on how and where to book travel in the most efficient way possible
- Align on the safety level of both departure and arrival locations
- Determine which suppliers are approved (based on health and safety criteria, and considering their change and cancellation policies)
- Determine how many days in advance should a booking be made
- Re-examine your your airline ticket rules (e.g. seat class, non-refundable)
- Determine if you allow bleisure, letting employees add personal time to a business trip
Pre-trip
- Determine if you will provide or reimburse for personal protective equipment
- Go over allowed expenses based on PPE, coverage if quarantined or Covid test required
- Provide insurance coverage across different countries
- Remind employees of any new documents needed to travel: medical documents, negative Covid test, traveller forms etc.
- Help your travellers organise themselves by providing pre-trip checklists
Trip
- Explain the internal process to follow with HR, legal and risk teams if a traveller gets sick
- Determine whether travellers should check-in with the company during their trip
- Determine what modes of transportation are allowed during trips (ridesharing, public transport, etc.)
- Set a meal per diem appropriate to the hotel dining in place
- Educate travellers on where to get updates on their itinerary and potential changes
- Put in place support resources in case disruptions or border closures occur
Post-trip
- Determine how much time there should be between trips
- Decide whether travellers can immediately return to the office or work from home a determined time
- Make sure your travellers communicate with HR teams about any symptoms they might have after a trip
- Gather feedback once your employees are back to gather feedback on their experience, and iterate
The above checklist should help you update your company's travel policies and adapt to the new rules set by countries, airlines and hotels, ensuring the safety of travelling employees. Should you need help rethinking your travel policy or program, email us at contact@fairjungle.com and we can find a convenient time to chat.
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