The majority of business travellers are familiar with their company’s travel policy, although most also say they have deviated from that policy, according to a global survey by BCD Travel.
The survey, which polled 1,200 business travellers from around the world in April, showed that 96 per cent of respondents said their company had a published travel policy, and 62 per cent at least sometimes referred to that policy when planning a business trip. In addition, 95 per cent said they knew how to find the policy if they needed to consult it.
But despite this knowledge, about two-thirds of travellers surveyed said they do not always comply with their company’s travel policy, according to BCD. Around half (45 per cent) said they “rarely” deviated from policy, while 17 per cent did it “sometimes” and only 4 per cent did not comply “often or always”.
Craig Bailey, president of Americas at BCD Travel, noted that travellers in North America were “less inclined” to consult their travel policy compared to those based in Europe or the Asia Pacific region.
BCD said this difference could be down to the “frequency around travel policy communications”, with fewer travellers in North America receiving these policy messages than their counterparts in other regions.
The most common reason for policy deviation was the need to book out-of-policy accommodation or transport for a client meeting, which was mentioned by 31 per cent of respondents.
This was followed by attending conferences or events where travellers needed to use non-preferred accommodation suppliers or properties with higher rates than allowed by policies, which was cited by 28 per cent of travellers. A smaller percentage said it was either due to ignorance of policies (6 per cent) or for personal benefit, such as accumulating loyalty points (5 per cent).
More than 90 per cent of respondents said they receive at least some level of communication about travel policy, with 57 per cent saying such communication occurred frequently or often.
About a third of respondents said communication around travel policy occurred rarely, according to BCD. Email was the most frequent source of communication for 70 per cent of respondents.
The survey indicated travellers were generally satisfied with travel policies, with just over half either “extremely” or “somewhat” satisfied. Around 30 per cent were ambivalent towards their policies, while 17 per cent were dissatisfied.
BCD added that respondents did not see travel policy as a major factor when deciding to join a company, with only 8 per cent saying it had influenced their decision to take a job. More than three-quarters said they either received no information about travel policy when offered their job or that they didn’t recall receiving such information.
Although, travel policy had more of an impact on employees choosing to stay with their organisation with 26 per cent saying it had an influence on their willingness to remain. This was much higher in Asia Pacific where nearly half said the policy affected this decision to stay or not, although this figure was only 27 per cent in the EMEA region and 21 per cent in North America.
“Sharing your travel policy to new hires during the onboarding process is key,” added Bailey. “Take advantage of that and stress the importance of your travel policy to new employees. Explain what it is, how it relates to company goals and why it’s important to comply with the policy.”