3 Ways To Create A Business Travel Program for Your Millennial Employees
Business travel looks much different these days than ten years ago. As Millenials enter the workforce, businesses are adopting new, modernized policies around the workplace, including remote work, promoting work/life balance, and more. When it comes to business travel, the need to rework travel policies is also becoming increasingly important. This doesn’t mean that as a company you’ll be footing the bill and receiving less, it is merely about creating a travel program that is rewarding and encourages the best from your employees.
With just a few simple tweaks, you can create a business travel program for your millennial employees that work for everyone.
Encourage alternative accommodation
Unless your company regularly books hotels and collects loyalty points, you may want to consider opening up accommodations to include alternative stays like Airbnb. There’s been a serious increase in companies that are opting in on Airbnb stays that are business travel ready. In order to be categorized as such, the accommodation must include a desk, Wi-Fi, self-check-in, and other amenities found in hotels.
Create a travel extension program or include some leisure time
Employees frequently express that they wish they could have had more time to explore in their free time, or that they could have extended their stay. This doesn’t mean that each day must be a short day, but rather that the option of extending the stay be available. Extensions would, of course, be at the cost of the employee, unless you were to opt-in on offering extensions as an incentive to performance on previous trips or in the office. Creative incentives are wonderful ways to encourage employee loyalty and productivity.
Digitize reporting and encourage the use of apps
The days of paper reporting are likely well behind most companies, but apps are making business travel a breeze. Encouraging your employees to use apps that simplify their travel experience allows them to take control of their itineraries and have access to the information they need. Apps such as Expensify make expense reporting simple and paper free, meaning no lost receipts, and the opportunity for nearly instant reimbursement.
For the majority of Millennials, business travel is a perk and adopting a policy that encourages some flexibility will be met with enthusiasm. As most people know, happier employees mean more productivity. Companies that practice work/life balance in the office and in their travel policies are likely to see dedication from employees and longer-term employment.
Incentivizing and revamping your travel program helps your employees feel rewarded and recognized for their accomplishments and promotes high standards. The best part about this is that the benefit is not just for your Millennial employees, this benefits everyone on your team and encourages them to work together toward a common goal.