QUESTION

Hi Fellow HR Friends,

I would like to check if your company allow staff to extend their official business trip for personal trip. For example, their business trip period is between 1st to 5th of May but they wanted to extend 2 more days over the weekend for personal trip.

And if your company allows for private trips, will your company be responsible for the employee if something happens to them during their private trip?

Thank you!

Maggie

REPLIES & COMMENTS

REPLY 1

It depends on your company's Travel Insurance policy. Some companies' Travel Insurance does cover personal deviation of up to 30 days before, during or after the business trip. So you may want to check with your insurance broker or refer to the insurance handbook.

James

REPLY 2

We allow employees to combine personal trip with business trip on the condition that no additional cost incurred. So in your case, if the employee wants to extend over the weekend and the airticket price does not increase, it should be fine, but the hotel stays for the weekend will not be covered by the company, i.e., employee will need to pay for his own accommodation for the extended trip. They also should buy separate travel insurance for the personal travel. If anything happened, the company will not be liable as the employee is basically not at work.

I hope the rest of the HR experts here will share more opinions/best practices.

Cecilia

REPLY 3

Yes we do allow for private extend. But that will be personal trip and means all cost will bear by personal cost.

Ottilie

REPLY 4

Yes we do. But we will advise the passenger that if for the reason of extension, and the airfare is higher, he is responsible to foot the additional $. All travel benefits he has to take care of like as though he is on vacation like, travel insurance, additional hotel stay, expenses.

Sim

REPLY 5

It is depends on both the flexibility and medical coverage clause in your company.

Our company is flexible to extend given the fact that it is over the weekend, however we won’t be providing any any accommodation such as hotel, car allowance etc.
Medical coverage should be 1 to 5 May (where there is official trip from the company) and should’t cover for personal trip.

I would suggest to make the person signed to this term or put into black and white first before going to overseas.

Stephanie

REPLY 6

Should not be a problem, but if the staff is staying at the same hotel as the business travel he/she has to pay for the extra days.

Same with the air ticket, if there is a slight difference between the actual end date of the meeting and the extended days it has to pay the difference.

Staff will need to purchase separate insurance during the personal days. This would be transparent as there is no mix with business and personal and to uphold the integrity of the company/staff.

It is only fair that the staff takes accountability and responsibility of their own welfare during the personal trips.

AB