Organising successful overseas business travel.IntroductionBusiness takes place in increasingly global markets, and managers are travelling abroad more than ever before. Travel may be infrequent in·fre·quent adj. 1. Not occurring regularly; occasional or rare: an infrequent guest. 2. for some, while for others it is a regular, established part of the job. Regardless of the size of the organisation, the number of overseas trips taken or the number of employees involved, a travel management policy is essential to ensure that people are in the right place at the right time, in a fit state to do business. An effective policy provides a coherent approach to overseas travel and can lead to cost savings. It also has the advantage of making the rules clear to all employees and demonstrating company support to those who travel on business. National Occupational Standards for Management and Leadership This checklist has relevance to the following standards: B: Providing direction, units 5, 6, 7 Definition A travel management policy describes: * how travel is organised on an organisation-wide basis * the controls the organisation wishes to impose * the steps which are taken to ensure employee health and safety while abroad * the support which is provided to employees to make the trip a success * the management information which is required for monitoring and evaluation. This checklist covers travel which is international and brief in duration. Expatriate Expatriate An employee who is a U.S. citizen living and working in a foreign country. postings are covered by Checklist 006 Planning Overseas Assignments. Action checklist 1. Decide which approach will be most effective Some organisations leave staff to make their own travel arrangements, but a coherent approach is only possible if the job is given to a full- or part-time part-time adj. For or during less than the customary or standard time: a part-time job. part travel coordinator or manager. An alternative is to outsource the work to a specialist business travel agent or travel management company. Consider the potential savings available through Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the travel sites and online booking services, but weigh these against the specialist knowledge, advice and customer service offered by traditional travel agents. However travel arrangements are handled, it is advisable ad·vis·a·ble adj. Worthy of being recommended or suggested; prudent. ad·vis  a·bil to use and monitor the
services of one travel agency for making bookings. This gives a dual
benefit: it allows you to maximise your purchasing power Purchasing Power1. The value of a currency expressed in terms of the amount of goods or services that one unit of money can buy. Purchasing power is important because, all else being equal, inflation decreases the amount of goods or services you'd be able to purchase. 2. , and the agency concerned becomes familiar with the needs and preferences of your organisation (and its individual managers) 2. Establish appropriate standards of travel and compensation State the grade of travel which employees should use. This often depends on the journey length and the seniority of the person concerned. A similar statement relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc hotel accommodation should be included. Consider your policy on partners accompanying staff on work-related trips (would you allow one first class ticket to be swapped for two economy ones, for example) and decide whether benefits earned on frequent flyer frequent flyer Hospital practice A popular term for a Pt who is regularly admitted to a particular ER or health care facility, for various reasons programmes should be returned to the organisation or retained by the individual. Draw up approval guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. for expenses. These should include advances of foreign currency, use of credit cards, clothing allowances for intemperate in·tem·per·ate adj. Not temperate or moderate; excessive, especially in the use of alcoholic beverages. in·tem  per·ate·ly adv. climates, and private telephone
calls. Monitor cost-of-living indexes cost-of-living indexn. See consumer price index. Noun 1. cost-of-living index - an index of the cost of all goods and services to a typical consumer consumer price index, CPI for various cities to enable you to control expenses. Compensation for weekends and bank holidays spent abroad must be agreed with staff and they must know how soon they are expected back at work after returning from their trip. 3. Check up on visa requirements Make sure that you have up to date information on current visa, passport passport Document issued by a national government identifying a traveler as a citizen with a right to protection while abroad and a right to return to the country of citizenship. It is normally a small booklet containing a description and photograph of the bearer. and travel documentation requirements in the countries your employees will be visiting and that all travel documents are current. 4. Take steps to ensure staff security abroad If a group of senior managers is intending to travel together, insist that they do not take the same plane or boat. Ensure that all staff who travel abroad for the first time receive a briefing on personal safety issues, for example on a plane, in the street, in an hotel, when taking cabs or driving themselves, and about looking after money. Also offer advice on measures which staff can take to protect their home and family whilst away. When staff visit high risk areas of the world, check out any specific advice for these countries and cities and make sure it is kept up-to-date and passed on to employees. 5. Check insurance policies The best insurance cover is all-year cover for all staff. Anything less could lead to employees making trips with inadequate cover or none at all, especially when last minute trips are arranged or someone who has never travelled abroad before on business is suddenly called upon to do so. Check carefully what the policy covers and what the small print excludes. Shop around and compare costs. 6. Ensure employees get the correct health information Health issues are many and varied. A travel policy should ensure that the important issues are dealt with, most notably vaccinations and specific health risks in certain countries, and that advice is given to staff on matters such as dealing with jet lag jet lag Period of adjustment of biological rhythm after moving from one time zone to another, experienced as fatigue and lowered efficiency. It reflects a delay in the synchronization of changes in the level of blood cortisol, the major steroid produced by the adrenal cortex , tummy bugs and the sun. Issue a first aid kit (containing disposable disposable Nursing adjective Referring to that which is discarded or disposed of noun An item used in health care-related Pt contact which is discarded after use–eg masks, gloves, gowns, needles, paper products, syringes, wipes. See Biohazardous waste. needles for use if injections become necessary) to travellers going to countries with unreliable medical services and an AIDS problem. 7. Provide appropriate cultural and language training Depending on the budget, the time available, and the inclinations of the employee, offer formal language training or encourage the traveller to use language tapes well in advance of trips. The employee will also need to know something about the culture, customs and business practices of the country. Cultural mistakes can be costly in business as well as in personal terms. Keep up-to-date with useful publications and seminars. 8. Communicate the policy A written copy of the policy should be sent to all travellers, their secretaries, their managers and the travel agency. 9. Monitor and evaluate the policy Collect information such as travel patterns, the number of journeys and the companies used. This can be gathered from flight and hotel bookings, invoices, management information from travel agencies and the submission of expenses. Consult travellers for their opinions on the assistance provided through the policy and on whether they think the rules are fair. Make sure you amend the policy accordingly for the benefit of other travellers. Managers should avoid: * relying on employees to manage their own travel arrangements * failing to provide clear guidelines * neglecting to read the small print in insurance policies * dealing with overseas travel on an ad hoc For this purpose. Meaning "to this" in Latin, it refers to dealing with special situations as they occur rather than functions that are repeated on a regular basis. See ad hoc query and ad hoc mode. basis * leaving arrangements until the last minute. Additional resources Books Guide to surviving business travel Staines Staines, city (1991 pop. 12,886), Surrey, SE England, on the Thames River. On the edge of Greater London, Staines is residential. There is some industry, such as the manufacture of diesel engines. Spelthorne Museum is there, and Thorpe Park, a theme park, is nearby. : spacetostay, 2004 Survivors Survivors was a British television series devised by Terry Nation and produced by Terence Dudley at the BBC from 1975 to 1977. It concerned the plight of a group of people who had survived an accidentally released plague that had killed nearly the entire population of the guide to business travel,Roger Collis London London, city, Canada London, city (1991 pop. 303,165), SE Ont., Canada, on the Thames River. The site was chosen in 1792 by Governor Simcoe to be the capital of Upper Canada, but York was made capital instead. London was settled in 1826. : Kogan Page, 2000 This is a selection of books available for loan to members from the Management Information Centre. More information at: www.managers.org.uk/mic Journal articles Business travel supplement Supply Management, 27 Apr 2006, vol 11 no 9, whole issue Going places, Alex Blyth Accountancy, Apr 2006, vol 137 no 1351, pp 40-41 This is a selection of journal articles available from the Management Information Centre. More information at: www.managers.org.uk/mic Related checklist Planning overseas assignments (006) Internet resources International Travel and Health: www.who.int/ith/en WHO guide to travel-related health risks and vaccination vaccination, means of producing immunity against pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, by the introduction of live, killed, or altered antigens that stimulate the body to produce antibodies against more dangerous forms. requirements by country. Foreign and Commonwealth Office: www.fco.gov.uk Includes a travel advice section covering a range of practical topics, including passport and visa requirements, health and safety when travelling and help available from consulates. Business Travel Net: www.businesstravelnet.com Portal site Noun 1. portal site - a site that the owner positions as an entrance to other sites on the internet; "a portal typically has search engines and free email and chat rooms etc. including travel news and directories of airlines, rail and ferry services, car rental and travel management companies. Economist Cities Guide: www.economist.com/cities Collection of guides to cities worldwide. |
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