Business travel sounds simple. Book the ticket, reserve accommodations and make it to your meetings on time. However, anyone who has traveled for business knows it’s not that easy. Companies that require employee travel must implement travel policies. These policies are in place to ensure all employees who travel for business follow the same steps in planning, booking and receiving expense reimbursements.
But travel is unpredictable. Flight cancellations occur, hotel stays are upgraded and food expenses can vary greatly. Creating a business travel policy that addresses every eventuality can feel impossible — but not having one in place can cause unnecessary confusion and even hurt your business’s bottom line. The following guidelines will help you create a corporate travel policy that’s a win-win for your company and your employees.
Aim for Balance
A corporate travel policy that’s one-sided, whether in the employer or employee’s favor, won’t work. An effective policy will understand the employee’s need to have some decision making power and flexibility. It also will require complete and accurate records on business expenses. A thorough and effective business travel policy will include the following:
Arrangements that employees are allowed to make on their own.
Arrangements that require approval.
Reimbursable expenses and how to report them. This also can include when a company credit card may be used.
Expenses that will not be reimbursed, such as pet boarding, in-room movies, laundry service and parking tickets.
The company’s preferred sites for booking online when arranging flights and accommodations.
The company’s preferred airlines, accommodation options, rental car companies and restaurants, if applicable.
Parameters, such as a daily allowance, for approved accommodations, meals and transportation.
Corporate travel policies can vary greatly from business to business. It’s also important for certain companies to include exceptions that are unique to their individual business needs.
Don’t Forget Safety Information
Travel safety information is an essential part of every business travel policy. After all, employee safety should be a priority for every business. One safety precaution to include in your travel policy is the requirement for employees to submit their itineraries prior to travel. This enables you to know where your employees should be and when. Employees also should provide accommodation phone numbers and emergency contact information. The employer should make the employee aware of any travel insurance policies they have available. These are simple steps that can greatly aid both parties in the event of an emergency.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
Technology plays an important role in business travel, and it can be a significant help in the creation and execution of your corporate travel policy. A number of digital tools are available online to help employees record expenses on the fly and submit them quickly upon arrival back at the office.
Businesses can use online resources such as Google Drive spreadsheets to record expenses or invest in corporate travel management software. These programs can help employers create travel policies that also address the employee booking process. Because they record purchases and expenses in real time, employees and employers are always on the same page.
Using technology to help create and enforce your corporate travel policy leaves less room for confusion or error. This can result in happier employees and fewer unnecessary expenses.
What to Avoid
It’s easy to make a number of common mistakes when creating a corporate travel policy. Companies can get carried away and create too many restrictions, which can make employees dread business travel. Examples include implementing unrealistic pricing requirements and causing employees to waste valuable time and energy looking for deals or stressing about costs.
An out-of-date policy also can cause problems, as the travel industry is constantly in flux. It’s important to read your company’s corporate travel policy often and adjust restrictions, pricing guidelines and other directives to suit the current travel market.
Creating an effective corporate travel policy doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Start with the simple guidelines above, keep employee safety a top priority and remember that your policy can always be adjusted as needed.
Author bio: Matt Singley is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Pinnacle Furnished Suites, a provider of short-term, fully furnished apartments and temporary corporate housing. Singley is a mechanical engineer by training, but an obsessed entrepreneur at heart. His light-hearted and friendly management style complement a serious dedication to the use/advancement of technology and enhanced customer experience to create a winning product and client journey.
In the past, workplace
clothing regulations were strict; office workers were expected to show up to
work looking as smart as possible in the traditional suit and tie combination.
Nowadays however, businesses have been taking a more relaxed approach towards corporate clothing. Whilst it is
important for employees to be comfortable in the workplace, relaxing uniform
regulations can lead to potential issues. For example, making the switch
towards more casual clothing could negatively impact your brand image. In this
article, we take a look at corporate vs casual workplace clothing and evaluate
which is best for your business.
Changing demographics
Despite the fact that
the younger demographic tends to prefer more casual workwear, this can be a
problem for brands. Brands that have adopted the casual-clothing idea are
seemingly allowing their staff to wear their own clothes that fit specific
style/colour requirements at work, which could have a negative impact on their
productivity, duties and other colleagues.
Your staff won’t fully
understand what materials and styles work well for different jobs. If your
staff decide to wear a tight material, this could prevent them from reaching up
to a shelf for example — the limitations an item of clothing has on their
abilities will be the last thing on their mind.
This doesn’t mean that
staff shouldn’t be allowed to dress more comfortably or causally, there are
just better ways to implement these rules. With technology and design
opportunities advancing at a rapid rate, uniform providers are now able to
facilitate any requirements when it comes to corporate workwear — whether you
opt for professional or a more relaxed style of attire. By opting for a
professional service, you’ll won’t have to worry about design regulations that
are required for your working environment that have been set out by governing
bodies; as the responsibility will fall with them. Not only this, they’ll
likely organise a consultation with your business to fully understand the
requirements of the job and how the uniform needs to be designed to meet them.
Branding
As competition on the
high street increases, brands are having to change the way that they present
themselves to customers. With reports suggesting that the high-street is
experiencing a dramatic decline, stores are trying to become more innovative to
improve customer and staff retention. Uniforms have recently become a big focus
for many businesses. To connect with customers on a personal level, more
organisations are allowing employees to ‘dress-down’, to encourage uniqueness
and to show shoppers that they’re able to adapt with the times.
If you enjoy a coffee
on your daily commute to work, you might have noticed that Starbucks have
recently changes their uniform requirements. Previously, baristas would wear
buttoned-up black or white shirts with name badges and black or khaki pants, accompanied
with their signature green apron. But now, rules have become lax surrounding
what they’re allowed to wear beneath the apron.
Starbucks staff now
have the opportunity to express themselves through their workwear in a way that
traditional uniforms never allowed. The Starbucks employee lookbook states that
baristas can wear black, white, grey, navy and brown shirts as a solid or for a
subdued, small-print, low-contrast pattern. However, sweatshirts, hooded
shirts, cap-sleeve and short-sleeve V-neck or T-necks are forbidden. Although
you may remember some baristas wearing caps with a Starbucks logo, their
options have now varied too, with flat caps, trilby hats and beanies becoming
an option. Employees are also allowed to wear scarves, but they must be tucked
behind their apron!
Uniforms: An employee perspective
Rather than looking at
uniforms as an additional expense, businesses should think of them as a
long-term investment. Not only will uniforms allow you to stay within workwear
regulations, it will also reduce the time you spend monitoring clothing if
staff do choose to wear their own styles for work.
Although employees
might enjoy the idea of wearing casual clothing to work, it could raise
problems when you consider other expenses and factors. These could include
rent, groceries as well as general clothing. If they have the responsibility to
also purchase suitable workwear, this will be another deducting factor that
comes out of their wage.
Having a set uniform
for your business would help create a strong brand image and unify your
employees.
When you’re designing something that will help better market
your business, it’s important to get it right first time. As you’ll likely be
printing in bulk, one mistake can impact the entire production line and leave
your end-product unusable. Together with Direct Letterbox Marketing, providers
of leaflet
distribution services, we investigate the best
design techniques to make your print effective — from call to actions to bold
lettering. We’ll also address what you shouldn’t do with your designs by
looking at some of the biggest mistakes marketers have made with their printed
materials.
The impact of print marketing
Surveys have found that 89% of people remember flyers they
received through the door. On top of that, almost half of those who responded
admitted that they keep leaflets in a drawer or on a board for future reference
and 48% claimed to have visited a store, bought a product, or sent for
information because of door-drop advertising.
Print marketing has a longer life than its marketing
counterparts. The likes of social media might be great for short-term
advertising, but the online world is a fast-paced environment. How often have
you clicked away from a page to never be able to find it again? With print
marketing, you’ll always have a hard copy at hand unless you physically get rid
of it.
Think of the last time you picked up a magazine or brochure
– or indeed any physical piece of print. Chances are you spent more time
looking at this than you would at any online content. Print copy is certainly
more engaging than digital.
There are also many forms of print marketing, whether it’s a
leaflet, brochure, roll-up banner or any other form. This means you can grab
your customers’ attention in a variety of ways, be it in long or short form,
colourful or plain. It also helps your brand stand out from the crowd when used
correctly, helping to build long-term trust and gain repeat customers. This is
crucial as nine out of 10 customers would buy a brand they recognised if
presented with two of the same offers.
Design must-haves
Designing the appropriate content is crucial. Every layout
must engage the reader. After all, if it doesn’t draw the audience in and grab
their attention, then you have failed and ultimately wasted time and money. You
shouldn’t just settle for dull images – you want to stand out and make people
take notice. At the same time, you want to guide the reader’s eye so it’s key
to avoid images that distract from your message. Instead, pick images that will
help guide them to the content your promoting. It’s necessary to have a
pleasant balance of used and unused space. You don’t want to overpower your
audience with too much activity, but you also don’t want to waste your
opportunity to get information in front of them.
With this information, be sure to include a call to action.
It’s no use producing an eye-catching document that has no end purpose. Without
prompting an action from a potential customer, the marketing campaign hasn’t
done its job. Another must-have, which may sound obvious, is correct spelling
and grammar. We’ve all seen the signs or advertisings that have poor punctuation,
and this is a sure-fire way to diminish your brand’s credibility.
Alongside a captivating logo, make sure you include your
complete contact information. Without this, how do you expect your audience to
find you? They are not going to go out of their way to search for your details
if they are not on hand. Include this alongside your social media logos to give
the audience all the relevant avenues to research your brand.
Print marketing mistakes
Print is here to stay – there’s no getting away from it. However,
you don’t want to end up in the recycle bin or be just another sign. Many
companies have fallen foul to an array of mistakes when it comes to print
marketing.
Some companies forget to think about their audience when
creating content and don’t ensure that it’s easy to read and has a simple
message. Sometimes, graphics can explain your service better than words for
those who have limited English skills. In an ideal campaign, you’ll cater to
each audience and tweak your campaigns to suit the needs of each targeted
mailing list.
However, such tweaks need to stay within consistent
boundaries. It’s extremely important to use the same logos and styling
throughout any campaign. This will allow you to speed up the revising and
updating process and save you money as you won’t be reinventing the wheel every
step of the way.
It’s also crucial to remember any logo and branding you
choose will have to go across other marketing forums, such as online. Make sure
that any logo and colour scheme you choose will work well across the board.
This will make it easier for any potential customers to recognise and relate
with your brand.
To run a business efficiently, most companies, both small
and large, will have several employees to support their processes and ensure
that the quality of their services is high. However, managing employees can be
difficult, and business owners may find that they experience a range of
problems when it comes to ensuring employee happiness and motivation, which are
vital to the success of your business.
1.
Personal Injury Claims
If your business does not have a sufficient health and
safety policy in place to support your employees, you may find yourself on the
receiving end of a personal injury claim made against you. Common workplace
injuries that occur range from slip and falls caused by hazards such as wet
floors and loose wires, as well as office-related injuries such as repetitive
stress injuries like carpel tunnel syndrome. If a personal injury claim is made
by your employee against you, Aston
Knight Solicitors has a history of helping both employees and employers to
negotiate the right solution for them, whether that be in terms of compensation,
or defending themselves in court. If you want to prevent personal injuries in
the workplace, you should create a strict health and safety policy and training
regime for every staff member, which you should refresh on a regular basis and
which should include elements such as the correct way to lift heavy objects.
2.
Motivation Issues
However, for many employees, their issues are less physical,
but, as a business owner, you should be no less aware of these. With a
third of employees feeling unmotivated, motivation issues in the workplace
can occur for a variety of reasons, including a lack of praise or unsuitability
for the job, as well as a lack of promotion. To ensure that you are able to
motivate your employees at all times, you should set up rewards for hard work,
such as seasonal events like summer barbecues or Christmas dinners, to
celebrate your employee’s achievements throughout the year. You should also
consider pay rises and promotions in order to show employees that they are
valued. You could also set up prize schemes for those employees with the best
stats, such as holidays and days out.
3.
Skills Gaps
One of the major problems for managers dealing with employees
is the
skill gap, with many employers struggling to find employees who suit the
needs of their company. However, even if you are unable to find employees on
job boards that match your requirements, it is possible to combat the skills
gap easily. To do this, you should create training schemes for your employees
on a regular basis, as well as invest in exterior training courses or
qualifications, which could boost your employee’s skills and strengthen their
weaknesses. You could also consider investing in personal development by giving
employees an afternoon off regularly to focus on improving skills that they are
interested in, which they can then reinvest into your business.
4.
Human Resource Problems
Along with the skills gap, human resource issues are also
becoming problematic, with many businesses unable to find the amount of staff
that they need for certain tasks. To find a solution to this, you should consider
out-sourcing employees to find the talent or amount of employees you need
for a certain project, especially if they are only needed on a temporary basis.
Unless you
believe that developing AI is a sure way of bringing the events from Terminator
to life, future application of artificial intelligence can be a very
interesting thing. One industry that stands to gain a lot from introducing
aspects of AI is iGaming. Companies are not the only one that will benefit from
it, but players as well, both directly through the use of AI and indirectly
from having a better experience during playing. AI has been a buzz word that
has caused a lot of controversy in the last decade, but so far, we haven’t seen
its impact in any significant way. Some indicators say that it may happen in
the next year or two.
AI in gaming
Use of AI in
gaming isn’t a new thing. Older folks remember Garry Kasparov’s chess battles against a
series of IBM’s computers. First, it was Deep Thought in 1989. Kasparov wiped
the floor with it. The next iteration was called Deep Blue in 1996. Kasparov
won again 4 – 2 but became the first chess world champion who lost a game to a
computer in tournament settings. The next year saw a rematch and the
unthinkable happened. Gary Kasparov, one of the best chess players in history,
lost a match 2.5 – 3.5 to a bunch of electronic circuits and a piece of
cleverly written code. Of course, Kasparov blamed his loss on IBM cheating.
Fast forward 20
years later and it is not even a competition anymore. The current World Chess
Champion, Magnus Carlsen, has an Elo rating of 2845. The most powerful chess computer
program Stockfish 9 has a rating of 3438. Translated into layman terms, it
means that in a hundred matches, Carlsen wouldn’t win a single one. That is how
far we have come.
One of the biggest issues some people have with the iGaming industry
is that it causes addiction and allows players to continue playing even when in
well over their heads. AI can greatly help to curb that trend, by introducing
warnings that could prevent addictive behavior and even force players to play
responsibly. By analyzing game patterns, it can be easy to recognize players
who may develop an addiction and introduce measures to prevent them from it. It
can be quite easy to lose track of both time and money while
playing your favorite online slot games, but with an AI keeping a
watchful eye on you, bad consequences can be avoided.
Fraud Prevention
One of the
biggest concerns of online iGaming companies is fraud prevention and AI can do
wonders in preventing people from cheating. Ironically, the best tool these
cheaters have is AI, so the industry is fighting fire with fire, in a sense.
Cheating in modern online casinos is all about patterns and there is no better
and faster way of detecting hidden patterns than AI. AI-powered fraud
prevention tools can save a lot of money and it is easy to see why more and
more companies are using them. Of course, even more, important is preserving
their reputation. Nobody wants to play in an online casino that has allowed
cheaters to run free, which is a reasonable reaction.
Data processing
is one of the most boring AI applications, but also one of the most powerful
ones. It is also an area where we are seeing a massive use of artificial
intelligence and machine learning today. Analyzing terabytes of data is a task
no human being can accomplish in any reasonable time frame. AI, backed by a
powerful computer, can do it in an afternoon, if not faster. By extrapolating
the results, AI can make meaningful suggestions on playing styles and create
useful feedback to both companies and players.
iGaming has always been at the forefront of technological
advancement and the industry
is keen on developing and applying any new solutions that benefit it. AI is no
exception and many companies have already incorporated it in some form. There
is no reason to doubt that iGaming industry leaders will continue to do so in
the future, benefiting both themselves and their players. Well, at least until
Skynet takes over.
As we all know, most boardrooms want immediate action when a downturn
in business performance occurs. Unfortunately, it’s generally not quite as
simple as that.
Markets are volatile things, particularly nowadays, and it means
pinpointing these downturns can be more difficult than ever before.
This is one of the reasons why accounting companies like 3 Wise Bears are so popular
nowadays. By keeping on top of your accounts, you can at least spot holes a lot
easier – and make things like a PESTLE analysis simpler.
For the purposes of today we are going to focus on external factors
when it comes to running your business. Let’s now take a look at four issues
that often slip by the net when it comes to scrutinizing performance.
The weather
It might be something of a headline-grabber, but you might be
surprised at just how much the weather can impact the performance of a
business.
For example, if a winter is particularly warm, a ski company might
struggle much more than in previous years. Or, if there was a particularly
cloudy and rainy summer, a window blinds company might have similar
difficulties.
To some, this might seem like the easy excuse, but there’s no doubt
that some businesses are affected by the weather much more than others.
The seasonality
In some ways, this is similar to above. However, all businesses have
waves of seasonality, and it’s worth looking at this as a priority before you
dig any deeper into your company’s performance.
To coin an example, for a lot of brands December is a particularly
slow month. This is because people are off work, and generally having downtime.
When one considers the festivities, buying products tends to be at the back of
their mind (at least after the 25th December).
The political factors
Like it or not, politics can play a part as well. We’re not going to
dive too deep into politics, but suffice to say certain legislation is going to
impact some businesses more than others.
If we were to coin a real-life example, it could be with high-interest
loans in the UK. Legislation was passed which meant that companies offering
such a service were under much tighter regulations – and this had severe effects on the way they
operated.
The economy
Finally, let’s leave one of the biggest macro factors until the very
end. Granted, the economy is going to vary between nations, but as a whole it
would be fair to say that it is struggling at the moment .
For most companies, the repercussions are obvious. Customers just
aren’t willing to spend the money that they once were – and they are a lot more
conscious about price than they may have been in the past.
It can mean that companies offering more of a budget service can start
to grab market share, while it can also mean that markets start to shrink. Either
way, this is an external factor which is really difficult to affect.
Do you have aspirations of being an entrepreneur? Many people like the idea of starting their own business ventures, and it is easy to see why as it can be incredibly rewarding to build a successful company from the ground up. As any experienced entrepreneur will tell you, this is no easy feat and it will take much more than a good business idea to succeed. You see many aspiring entrepreneurs make the same mistakes time and time again so it is important to know a few tips which should help you to hit the ground running and hopefully find success in your ventures. Here are a few key tips. Continue reading “Top Tips For Aspiring Entrepreneurs”→
WELCOME TO GENUINE SUCCESS
You’re in Business for one reason: Success.
Grow your company, reputation, customers, impact, profits. Grow yourself. This is a community that will help. It will stretch your mind, connect you to fascinating people, and provide some fun along the way. I am so glad you’re here.
-Keith O'Sullivan
You’re in Business for one reason: Success.
Grow your company, reputation, customers, impact, profits. Grow yourself. This is a community that will help. It will stretch your mind, connect you to fascinating people, and provide some fun along the way. I am so glad you’re here.
-Keith O'Sullivan
