organisational values, including integrity. Separate out the reference to trust in staff from the reference to disciplinaries, although keep the latter up front in the policy document. 4. Agreed actions Action identified by Panel Agreed by Policy Owner (Yes/No) Justification if not agreed Date to be implemented Confirmation of implementation Overall Ensure that it is clear in the document that the policy applies to all staff at all levels. Yes included in revised policy Check what the policy is regarding travel, expenses and Trustees. Yes Trustees policy is currently being reviewed Include in the policy the sentence in the ESIA form ‘It should benefit all indefinite/FTC employees globally where local laws, tax regulations and collective agreements allow’, and also mention in the policy the additional reference to consultants/contractors, Yes Included in revised policy and updated to reference secondees
example. Consider noting ‘local variations apply’ for the relevant sections, linking then to the more detailed information. Ensure that UK nationals are aware they can register their travel with the FCO. Explore any similar options for other nationals. Yes – link to be included in policy Initial section Keep the reference to disciplinary procedures in the initial section of the policy, however make reference in this section to the policy being in line with organisational values, including integrity. Make reference to trust in one sentence and reference to disciplinary procedures in a separate sentence. Yes Included in revised policy. Pre Travel Add the word ‘estimated costs’ to the current ‘all travel needs to be discussed…and agreed by your line manager before you book. Yes Included in revised policy Include in the policy how staff Yes for No advances will be
can obtain an advance. This is particularly important in some locations where staff require advances before travelling, as they don’t have TEX cards (or these are not easily usable) or a corporate card (which again may not be easily usable for all required expenditure). Tailor this for specific locations as required, ensuring that any legal requirements are catered for. overseas no for UK. allowed for the UK, however local advances may be considered as the policy is implemented by region Ensure that Finance confirm the process to account for advances, and that local requirements are taken into account. Yes, for overseas no for UK. As above Transportation Change the order of the bullet points, putting the second bullet point as the first one, followed by the points to consider when booking flights. Yes Included in revised document. Replace the reference to ‘domestic or near European flights (i.e. Paris or Brussels)’ to something along the lines of ‘countries accessible by means other than flights, such Yes Included in revised document.
as boat or train’. Rather than suggesting seeking advice from the travel provider if unsure about safety of an airline or route, as they may have a vested interest in recommending certain airlines but in any case may not be the best source of safety information explore which are the most authoritative source of safety of different airlines and routes, possible an industry organisation (e.g. IATA) or the FCO, and note these in the policy. Yes Checking that the travel vendor and potentially also government travel sites (such as the FCO) might provide advice Included in revised policy and HRG have confirmed that they won’t book EU blacklisted airlines for flights into Europe, awaiting confirmation around blacklisted airlines outside of the EU Be more specific about what is meant by making exceptions for those with ‘a particular travelling requirement’, with an indication that there is a need to minimise the opportunities for inconsistencies, misinterpretations and ambiguities. Add some examples of situations illustrating what the organisation needs to do to provide more flexibility. Yes Included in revised policy Consider how to make Yes Included in revised policy
their usual working hours. Also ensure that needs of disabled people are taken into account in terms of rest periods even if they have flown business class. Trains Check with EB whether, if a first class train ticket is available at a cheaper price than a standard class ticket (or a lower class ticket) whether the cheaper ticket can be purchased. No Not agreed at EB, general feeling was that all travel should be standard for at least the UK, generally only get cheaper first options if booking late or booking fully flexible tickets when non flexible should be considered N/A N/A The reference to ‘standard class ticket’ was felt to be Change to alternative wording to make it more globally applicable, such as ‘if there are different classes of travel in trains in the country you are travelling, then then nearest to UK standard class is used’. Yes Clarify any exceptions to using standard class (or equivalent) Yes may be granted No exceptions for the UK, exceptions may
had when visiting the UK if they don’t have the card which was used to book their hotel accommodation. Meals Clarify in the policy that meal allowances are equalised and anyone travelling to any country will have the same meal allowance applicable to that country. Yes, if local legislation from home country allows Included in revised policy Link from the policy to a separate document which sets out all the meal allowances by country. Yes Included in revised policy Remove the different limits for lunch and dinner, possibly considering a 24 hour allowance, as in some countries/cultures the mid-day meal is more substantial than the evening meal. Consider changing wording from ‘dinner’ (implying in the draft text an evening meal) to ‘main meal’. Yes Included in revised policy As there is to be no ‘exact’ upper limit on meals allowances, clarify what ‘reasonable’ means. No No clarification to be provided in the document, it will be down to individuals N/A N/A
and line managers to agree reasonableness. HRMC data will act as a guide Explore whether, in locations where meal allowances have been set by collective agreement, top ups can be provided if a staff member travels to a location where the meal allowance is higher than what has been negotiated in their country. Yes Included in revised policy Plan to ensure that in any situations where meal allowances have been negotiated by collective agreement that consideration is given to re-negotiating these to bring them into line with corporate policy. Yes Make reference to exceptions for no provision for lunch to be claimed on a day trip within one’s own country. An exception would be when entertaining. Yes Included in revised policy Clarify ‘where tips are expected to be paid’, perhaps Yes through country pages