When workers combine business and leisure travel they report that they feel more effective and productive in their work, they appreciate their employers and the perks of their job, they feel more valued and they are less likely to leave the company. The employee benefits in the growing bleisure travel trend are clear, but is having a bleisure travel policy the right decision for your business? BlueOrange Travel, a New York based agency, says “Yes!” Read on to learn why.
More frequently, business travel is transforming into bleisure travel. Having a set policy in place will allow your organization to have clear parameters that fit your company’s needs and your employee’s wants. Policies that outline when and how bleisure travel fits into scheduled work trips, gives clarity for everyone involved.
Because bleisure is a priority among Millennials entering the workforce, a policy can act as an incentive when your company is hiring workers. Consider crafting a generous bleisure policy if your company can’t offer high salaries or amazing benefits. Giving your employees extra days to explore their destination might be the ideal trade to attract top talent while preserving your budget.
Giving employees the freedom to attach an extra personal day or two onto a work-mandated trip allows your company to show employees that they are valued. In turn, this will help to lower turnover rates and improve productivity.
When you start crafting your company’s policy on bleisure travel, there are several factors to consider. Start by deciding who is eligible. In most cases, every employee who travels for the company will be covered under your policy. Your company might even further the incentive; for example, some companies reward frequent travelers by covering their partner’s airfare once a year.
Ask what does your company need to know about? Consider carefully if the company needs specific details for the traveler’s bleisure days. Should the employee share an itinerary? Does your company need to know who will be sharing the expensed hotel rooms? Knowing the answers to these questions can help determine where the company’s expenses end and the employee’s expenses begin.
It’s also important to clearly define the company’s expense policy. If a conference is three days long, then the company probably won’t cover a week-long hotel or car rental. Address these issues in your bleisure policy.
Perhaps the single, most-important part of your company’s bleisure policy is a clear definition of when the business trip ends and the leisure trip begins. Many businesses require that the employees submit this information in writing to ensure clarity and agreement between employer and employee. This ensures that issues like insurance, expenses and other important matters are addressed an advance and there is no gray area of who is responsible for the travel costs at any given point of the trip.
No matter how you craft your bleisure policy, the most important aspect is that you clearly set the expectation of what your company will cover and what can or cannot be expensed. This way, employees can plan and budget their personal time after the work commitments are over.
Let BlueOrange help you or your business plan your next corporate travel commitment or bleisure getaway. Contact us today!