You have the employees. You have the business travel opportunities. Now all you need to do is entice more employees to actually want to take those opportunities to do business around the globe. Getting your employees excited about business travel can be easy with just the right perks, and we’ve come up several that would be tough to resist.
Take care of all their travel-related paperwork
One of the greatest travel headaches is ensuring all the right paperwork is in order. Let employees know you’ll have them covered, with updated passports and visas as needed for smooth travel to any international destination.
Then simply hand over all the heavy lifting to Swift, where we complete all necessary paperwork, work directly with foreign consulates, ensure the latest regulations are met, keep you posted on the progress, and offer a variety of expedited services.
Make travel and expense reporting easy
Another hassle with corporate travel has historically been the ominous and tedious expense report. History, however, is not destined to repeat itself in this category with a host of streamlined travel and expense management software options now on the market. Many programs work with mobile devices, automate routine procedures and even let employees snap an image of a receipt to submit on the spot. If you’re not ready to dive into this new technology, download our business travel expense sheet.
Create flexible travel policies
Strict and inflexible corporate travel policies have long been the norm, but adding a little flexibility to the mix can add a lot of allure for your traveling employees. For instance, instead of mandating a single hotel that employees must use, offer a shortlist of booking choices with incentives for choosing those with which you have corporate discounts or other perks.
Employees can still opt for their top choice, basing their decision on personal preference as well as the value of the rewards. The same can hold true for airlines, ground transportation options, and meals while traveling.
Let employees keep rewards from travel loyalty programs
A major incentive for choosing travel accommodations that precisely align with your travel policy is letting employees keep the reward points they rack up for their personal use. While they earn the points on business, they can redeem the rewards at a later date when traveling solely for pleasure.
Offer personal days tacked on at the beginning or end of a trip
The lines between travel for business and leisure are becoming increasingly blurred in some cases, resulting in a phenomenon known as “bleisure travel.” This type of travel mixes leisure and business, often with a few personal days off at the beginning or end of a trip.
Mention or even encourage this option when recruiting employees for travel, noting there are clear lines between the two but they are welcome to take advantage of personal time while already at their destination, with airfare already covered by the company.
Continuously listening to your business travelers, and addressing their complaints or implementing feasible suggested changes, is another way to ensure they continuously want to travel for your company.
Business travel is not just hopping on a plane to attend a meeting in some foreign destination. It’s a way for employees to broaden both their business and personal horizons. Ensure they have the chance to do both, and you may be graced with plenty of candidates ready and eager to travel.
