Travel perks are an important part of making traveling for business enjoyable and less stressful. When employees are traveling for work, they may be spending a significant amount of time away from home, which can be challenging and stressful at times. This is why you need to be sure to streamline the process as much as possible.
Examples of travel perks could be offering employees access to airport lounges, complimentary upgrades and expedited check-ins and boarding, which can make traveling more comfortable and more efficient. These perks can be especially beneficial for road warriors to reduce the stress and hassle associated with frequent travel.
Overall, travel perks can be an important factor in employee retention and satisfaction. By providing employees with valuable perks and benefits, employers can make the travel experience more enjoyable and less stressful, which positively contributes to employee satisfaction levels, productivity, employee wellbeing and retention.
Flexible travel policies
When it comes time to design a travel program, it’s important to also implement flexible travel policies, such as flexible work hours, remote work and unlimited vacation time. This provides some psychological benefits because employees know that even if they have to travel frequently for business, that they will be compensated accordingly with adequate days off, and they can adjust their work hours accordingly.
Remote work has seen a rise since the pandemic, and although many companies are asking employees to come back to work, remote work does wonders for employee wellbeing, offering a great work-life balance. Long commutes and not getting enough sleep are factors that negatively affect job satisfaction, and by providing flexible travel policies, you can be sure that your employees will be happier and more productive.
When it comes time to book business travel, make sure you have an easy-to-use platform where employees don’t need to spend excessive amounts of time trying to book a trip. As an administrator in GetGoing, you can set up a custom travel policy to adapt to employees’ unique needs. Plus, with pre-trip green light approval, employees can book without restrictions since they are already pre-approved for travel. This means they won’t waste time booking and then waiting for approvals. The easier and more streamline booking business travel can be, the happier and more productive your employees will be.
Accommodation perks
When it comes to business travel, accommodation perks can make a big difference in the comfort and productivity of the trip. Many hotels might offer amenities like free Wi-Fi, business centers, conference rooms, and co-working spaces that allow employees to work efficiently and stay connected while on the road. Some hotels also offer complimentary breakfast, on-site restaurants, and fitness centers, making it easier to stay healthy and energized during the trip.
Find out the 6 hotel features that business travelers care about.
In addition, Airbnb and other vacation rental platforms can provide unique and cost-effective options for longer stays or larger groups, offering the comforts of home and the flexibility to cook and work in a comfortable “home away from home.” Finding the right place to stay and giving employees the flexibility to choose what works best for them can enhance the overall experience of business travel. Read more about alternatives to hotels for business travel.
With GetGoing you can filter hotels by rating, price, neighborhoods, distance, and whether you want a chain or not. You can also see what is in policy and out of policy to make booking a piece of cake. Plus, when administrators add your office location in the tool you can more easily choose a hotel that is conveniently close to the office providing comfort for employees while traveling.
Transportation perks
Business travel has many perks, including the benefits of being a frequent traveler and being able to be eligible for upgrades and priority boarding. For air travel, business class seats can provide extra space and comfort, along with priority boarding and access to airport lounges. Rental cars can offer flexibility in getting around at the destination, while also allowing for privacy and convenience. Train travel can provide a more relaxed and less frenetic travel experience, while still being a time-efficient mode of transportation.
GetGoing can help travelers manage all their transportation needs from the platform, so they don’t have to use a million different websites to book the different elements of their trip. Travelers can book flights and rail from the platform and enjoy the perks of low prices and a wide selection of their favorite travel providers. Administrators can set up travel permissions like allowing travelers to book business class tickets and allowing paid seat selection.
Loyalty programs
Loyalty programs are a great business travel perk, providing benefits for both the traveler and the company they work for. Typically business travelers rack up a lot of miles, which is why traveling with the same airline when possible is a great way to accumulate frequent flier miles. As a business you can give your employees the flexibility to reserve with the airline company and hotel of their choice (provided rates are reasonably competitive) so that they can take advantage of the benefits of being frequent travelers.
Loyalty programs typically offer rewards and incentives for frequent travelers such as upgrades, free nights’ stay, upgrades to business travel, and access to the airport lounge, as well as early boarding. By encouraging employees to use preferred travel providers and hotels, companies can also negotiate better rates and discounts leading to cost savings.
Make sure to book with a travel management platform that allows you to keep track of your frequent flier miles and rewards programs. Add them into your traveler profile and take advantage of the benefits that loyalty programs offer employees and your company.
Offer the chance to extend a trip
With the rise of blended trips or bleisure travel, it’s an important perk that will likely make business travel worth it, bringing added benefit for both the traveler and the company. Bleisure combines business and leisure travel, allowing professionals to make the most of their business trips to add some personal time to explore new destinations. It’s a great way to increase company satisfaction, reduce turnover rates, and ultimately improve productivity.
It also offers travelers the chance to relax and regroup prior to going back to work, which can lead to better performance. Bleisure travel is cost-effective since travelers are already at their destination, so there are no added travel expenses, and it reduces the amount of overtime companies need to pay by replacing overtime with free days off. Allowing employees to extend their trip for bleisure purposes can create a win-win situation for both the company and the traveler.
Expert tip
Make sure to work bleisure into your travel policy. If you don’t have a travel policy yet, download our template now.
Why travel perks lead to employee satisfaction, productivity and wellbeing
By offering travel perks, companies can differentiate themselves and attract top talent. It is a win-win for companies and employees, providing incentives and rewards that can help to enhance the business travel experience. The happier employees are, the more productive they will be and the better levels of employee satisfaction within your company. By promoting wellbeing, travelers can have a healthy work lifestyle that will make them better employees.
Companies without a doubt should offer travel perks and incentives to their employees to increase productivity and wellbeing while traveling for business. Relying on an all-in-one platform like GetGoing can help streamline the booking process, increasing employee satisfaction, and making it easier for them to focus on their daily job.