According to a survey by BCD Travel, there is a gap between business travel policy awareness and policy compliance.
The survey drew on responses from over 1 200 business travellers worldwide.
Over 95% of the travellers said that they knew where to find their company travel policy and 90% had consulted it before. Half of these travellers claimed to be satisfied with the company policy.
Despite the large number of travellers who had read and understood the corporate travel policies, more than two-thirds of travellers deviated from their company’s travel policy. Most often, this was due to client meetings requiring out-of-policy transportation with non-preferred suppliers.
One in five travellers said that their company’s policy was not responsive to traveller needs or was too restrictive. A quarter of these respondents said they would benefit from increased spend limits or additional air ancillaries.
“While of course you must set limits that align with the company goals, a good travel policy sets its travellers up for success. This, in turn, helps the company stay within its budget and keeps lines of communication clear,” said Craig Bailey, President of Americas at BCD Travel.