It is more important than ever to use a dependable T&E software system to manage the amount of travel expenses. With the increase in employees who travel for business, businesses should have a clearly defined air travel policy. A travel policy for employees air helps cut down on out-of-policy and fraud-prone expenses related to business travel. We take a look at the steps to develop an effective policy for air travel from concept to its implementation. In addition, we outline the most effective ways to adopt and enforcing these policies in your company seamlessly.
What exactly does an air travel policy include?
- Documentation of all processes related to the business aviation industry.
- Information on how employees can book, report, and pay for the cost of air travel.
- The list below lists all the necessary documents needed to submit expense reports.
- Indicating legal consequences in relation to IRS regarding policy violations.
- Tips for employees on how to be responsible when they travel for business.
- A comprehensive policy and transparency results in less fraud and also reduces overall spending.
Why should companies have a policy on air travel?
All over the world, companies are seeking ways to enhance the quality of their T&E management. Here are a few benefits of having an effective system:
Improves business processes with the aid of the TEM program. You are able to record data points and get spending insights on various aspects. In addition, it creates an environment of standardization for your travel arrangements for business. Standardization establishes specific standards in the corporate travel experience and sets an example in travel policy for employees.
Enhances overall productivity. Policy administrators can are able to deal employees’ questions when policies are clearly defined and understandable. With clear directions as to what they should do, employees can spend less time on reservations and other travel-related tasks. This allows all employees to concentrate on their main tasks without having to worry about the cost of reimbursements.
Protects against fraud: Employees could be creative when manipulating the system that is in place. This is the reason why an expense management program is essential to ensure that you are aware of every expense. With the most advanced digital audit trails that track every expense, software that automates payments, and travel software, it makes sure you’re never off your track.
Essential items to have in your travel policy
The process of booking travel It is crucial to determine how employees are able to make reservations for travel. There are many options available for internal or external help desks as well as travel booking tools or other travel sites. We suggest you use the T&E software that works straight with the travel programs and aggregators you prefer. This can greatly accelerate the process of booking.
Limits on spending with cash and credit cards:
Mandating a company card program and establishing per-diem allowances for employees will assist in reducing unnecessary expenditures. Conducting checks on policies when the expense is incurred earlier than later will guarantee that all spending is in compliance, which will reduce the risk of fraudulent expenditures.
preferred airlines:
If you are an authorized contractor with a specific airline, then ensure your employees are aware. Indicate when employees traveling have to make reservations for their business trip. This will minimize the chances of confusion in the process of booking.
Business class as opposed:
Economy class This policy must clearly state what class of Company travel policy for employees class is permitted. Another example is that you can use business class for only international travel and economy class on domestic flights. Be sure to avoid spending too much on expensive seats. This will help you manage and monitor the business expenses of employees.
Accommodation:
Be sure to list the types of rooms that are available for your employees who travel (e.g. Standard Room vs Superior Suite.) If you’ve partnered with specific hotels, make sure your employees know about the partnership. This will allow you to save money through discounts as well as other benefits.
Costs for booking and exceptions:
The aim of this section is to provide guidelines for employees on acceptable prices for booking accommodation, flights, and car/cab rental. If the cost of booking exceeds the guidelines, a process is required to allow for the exception. This can help effectively communicate the implications of such requests.
The best practices for the successful implementation of a policy on travel
Defining a policy is only the first step; implementing it in a manner that is easy for employees is a completely different ballgame. Let’s conclude this article with some top practices that can be used to implement an effective Travel and Expense policy in your business successfully.
Be simple when creating policies for Company travel policy for employees on air, and stay clear of using jargon used in business. It is recommended to stick to simple words. It is well-known that policies are disregarded and misinterpreted by employees. Using a simple language can mitigate this. To ensure that employees are more responsive, make it as brief and create as few rules as possible.
Concentrate on policy implementation and not enforcers:
It’s typical to see employees reporting non-compliant and out-of-policy expenses. This adds more work for finance personnel. This can be avoided by being aware of and accommodating to the requirements that your workers have. Note the way an exception is addressed by clearly stating and including that in the policies.
The policy’s ownership should be assigned. If a policy is to be successful, it must have clear and complete ownership. It is a financial responsibility within the company. After establishing a policy and then adopting it, there are bound to be a few loopholes, and it’s unlikely to be flawless. It is the responsibility of the owners to keep track of, alter, and share the policy’s adoption as well as the changes it brings.
Executive assistance:
T&E policies are easily implemented when high-ranking executives such as Chief Financial Officer (Chief Executive Officer and Financial Manager) are supportive and supportive of this policy. Making sure your CFO understands the need for this policy and how it affects the business is essential.
Integrate travel policy checks into the expense and travel management software: Implementing a clear policy and then manually check expenses is a barrier to the speed with which your expense management process works. Modern expense management software lets you develop elaborate and precise policies within the program. This makes it easier to achieve effortless expense tracking.
Benefits of the use for travel policies to ensure compliance
Real-time recording of expenses on an expense management dashboard centrally to make it easy to keep track of costs. This provides complete transparency to all the stakeholders.
Pre-configuration of policy settings to ensure smooth expense tracking. This ensures compliance in real time.
A rapid and efficient process for approval of expenses due to automated policy enforcement. This allows for timely reimbursements of employees. HR toolkit has free, readymade 300+ HR documents. Download free HR document templates & customize them as per business need.
Real-time checks of the policy during expense reporting. The process of pre-checking expenses leads to healthy spending routines.
Implementation of complicated policies directly into the software, with the ability to modify and adjust it in accordance with the needs of the business. This allows you to take immediate steps to improve the policy’s compliance.
Benefit from insights into your travel policy for employees habits to enhance your cost control process. This can help optimize budgets and stop financial leaks.
This is our complete guide to creating an efficient aviation policy. Fyle does not just provide real-time compliance. We also assist businesses in optimizing and streamlining their process of managing expenses.
It could be expense analysis, T&E expense management, or integration with various travel/accounting software.
