Are you considering including bleisure in your company travel policy?
Bleisure, in which business travellers add on a few leisure days to their business trip, is a convenient way to combine two trips, save costs and see more of a destination. Plus, by spending more time on the ground recovering from jetlag and having a couple days to recharge their batteries, your travellers will be more productive employees when they do return to the office.
These are all good reasons to offer a flexible bleisure travel policy but putting it into practice requires careful consideration. Who foots the bill for what? How will expenses be reported? What if an employee wants to invite a plus-one?
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution, but there are some guidelines to consider when defining the parameters of bleisure within your company travel policy.
Costs
To avoid any ambiguity, clearly define when business ends and leisure begins. This will help to determine which expenses the company will cover. Typically, employees pay for all the costs associated with their personal time off, including accommodations and meals, while the company covers expenses for the days their travellers are there for business.
It’s equally important to establish clear processes for expense reporting.
Additional travellers
What if your employee wants to invite their spouse or family to accompany them on the trip? Will the additional traveller share the hotel accommodation covered by the company? Will they be attending business functions, like client dinners, charged to the company? These parameters must be clearly defined.
Travel insurance
Your company travel policy should specify which portion of the trip will and will not be covered by travel insurance. You may further stipulate that employees provide proof they have arranged their own travel insurance for their personal time off. If your company chooses to extend its insurance to also cover the leisure portion of a trip, you’ll want to consider limits on any high-risk, life-threatening activities.
Leveraging expertise
Putting your bleisure travel policy into practice could require some careful logistics, which is where you can lean on the expertise of your dedicated Thompsons Travel Account Manager. We will advise you on the logistics, such as whether your travellers can book any additional ground or air transportation, as well as accommodation through us in order to receive preferential rates for the leisure portion of their trip. We will also assist with your duty of care requirements.
Let’s talk about bleisure and how to include it in your travel policy so that your company enjoys the benefits of a happier, more engaged workforce.
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