We are concluding our mini-series for creating a policy manual for employees traveling for business. If you already have your own policy guide, you can check it against ours and refresh it as needed. In this final installment, we will encourage you to dust of your old policies for travel and embrace the way millennials like to travel for business.
Bleisure Travel
If your work force includes millennials, you will quickly notice that they might approach traveling for work differently from past generations. The term, “bleisure” combines a business trip with leisure time. Employees like to take advantage of combining business travel with personal sightseeing in the cities they visit for work. They may want to arrive a few days early or stay a few days after business has been concluded. Over 60% of business trips are now extended for leisure activities. Some companies offer bleisure travel as an employee incentive and retention tool. If you’d like to make bleisure a perk for your employees, make sure you outline clear bleisure guidelines within your travel policy.
Millennials Like Self-Booking
Millennials love mobile devices and conduct their business using mobile phones and apps. Gone are the days of calling a travel agent. Millennials use their phone to book hotels, airlines, food deliveries, groceries and take care of banking. They are more than comfortable using online booking platforms and price comparison tools for their travel needs. They are more likely to prefer booking their own travel arrangements. Consider allowing your employees to use these tools.
Alternative Lodging
While you might enjoy staying at a Marriott hotel, younger workers might prefer to stay at an Airbnb, especially if they are bringing their family along for a bleisure trip. You’ll have to assess costs and make sure the alternative lodging does not exceed the budget for traditional hotel stays. You could end up saving money if the employee cooks for themselves in an Airbnb rather than dining out for each meal.