Corporate Travel Management Blogs

The need for the three essential principles of DEI goes beyond day-to-day life and should extend to cover your workplace and its functions, most importantly, business travel. 

Although DEI is not a new concept, a growing number of companies are finally beginning to realize its importance and extending DEI in business travel along with other core departments.

Every travel manager should strive to provide fair policies and practices by implementing business travel DEI. The adoption of DEI in business travel has the potential to provide a tremendously positive environment and experience impartially for all stakeholders. 

In this informative read, we will cover the following:

• What is DEI? (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion)
• How do you include DEI in business travel?
• Best practices when implementing DEI in business travel
• Implement DEI in business travel with ease using Tripeur

 Without further delays, let’s explore DEI in Business Travel and how you can implement it in your organization’s business travel program to help you lead by setting an example. 

What is DEI?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings. Diversity refers to the characteristic differences amongst people, including their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and age. Similarly, equity focuses on creating fair opportunities for everyone, regardless of their differences. Inclusion involves creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

How do you include DEI in business travel?

Here are some simple ways to introduce DEI in business travel:

Attract diversity through your travel program

Your business travel DEI program should cater to their individual cultural backgrounds, preferential languages, and dietary restrictions to attract diverse employees. For instance, you could provide a translation service, provide halal or vegetarian meals, or include cultural activities in the travel itinerary.

Use policies to promote inclusion

When implementing DEI in your organization, you should ensure that your travel policies make all employees feel included and valued, regardless of their cultural, religious, or other differentiating backgrounds. For instance, your business travel DEI plan could include devising flexible travel policies that accommodate employees with working parents, religious obligations, or those with disabilities. You could also provide equal opportunities for diverse employees to travel together. Doing so fosters a sense of belonging, community, and connection.

Consider the equity of your travel partners

It’s vital to ensure that your travel partners, such as hotels and transportation providers, share your core DEI values. Otherwise, your business travel DEI plan would be something printed on paper with no practical enforceability. Business travel vendors and partners that value and prioritize sustainability, social responsibility, fair labor practices, and equality are good choices to help you succeed in integrating business travel DEI into your organization. That way, you partner with entities that share the same DEI principles, and together you can promote ethical business travel DEI practices.

Best practices when implementing DEI in business travel

To make your business travel DEI implementation plan easier, let us look at some best practices to follow. 

Sit down with travelers

Before implementing business travel DEI into your corporate travel program, you must first sit down with your employees and get their unique perspectives. These perspectives will provide invaluable insights into their concerns, requirements, and preferences to customize your travel program to accommodate their needs.

Ensure your policy is accommodative

A business travel DEI program with an accommodative policy ensures all employees feel valued and included. In the next step, ensure you provide an accommodative travel policy that is equally inclusive to all employees of varying cultural backgrounds, including different dietary requirements, cultural practices, and language preferences. 

Protect at-risk employees

Protecting your employees should be the fundamental focus of your DEI in business travel. You should assess and recognize that sometimes employees may be at risk when traveling to specific destinations due to cultural, religious, or political differences. It is essential to provide provisions or measures to guarantee your employee safety and well-being. For instance, you could arrange for secure transportation, arrange for a security detail, provide detailed security briefings, or avoid sending the employees in question on the trip altogether.

Educate your travelers about the destination’s culture

To promote inclusion and prepare your employees to respectfully handle the cultural differences of the destination, including cultural activities. These activities should educate your travelers about the travel destination’s culture and traditions so that they understand and appreciate the differences and can connect and learn from the local community.

Ensure you’re working with vendors from diverse backgrounds

Partnering with vendors from diverse backgrounds helps promote DEI in Business travel, diverse values, and inclusive practices. When selecting vendors, consider their commitment to diversity, hiring practices, and community involvement. To reiterate, engaging with culturally different vendors strengthens your standing as a business that values DEI in Business travel and will set a positive example with your employees. 

In conclusion, including DEI in business travel is not only the right thing to do, but it will benefit and leave a lasting effect on your employees and your organization. If you need help creating and enforcing business travel DEI travel policies, consult with a capable T&E management partner that will be able to devise and enforce strong T&E policies that provide an equitable and favorable environment to all your employees. 

Implement DEI in business travel with ease using Tripeur

Tripeur, a business travel management platform that prioritizes DEI principles, will provide you with all the tools necessary to devise and enforce flexible travel policies that accommodate your diverse workforce’s varying needs and preferences. Our platform will provide you with granular visibility into every aspect of your business travel to ensure your employees are safe during their travels. Use our platform to implement your business travel DEI plans to promote ethical and sustainable business practices. Tripeur’s user-friendly platform will make implementing your Business travel DEI an absolute breeze. Contact us to find out more.