Many entrepreneurs dread the moment of taking a business trip with their employees. On the one hand, it’s an excellent occasion for bonding outside the office – on the other, setting the right tone while on the road can be challenging. How to find the balance between informality of travel and professionalism of business? Here are a few etiquette tips to help you make the most from business travels with your employees.
Set the tone early on
Before your trip begins, you should make specific responsibilities clear. Suggest who needs to book a car, who’ll be responsible for making meal reservations, and who will lead presentations and meetings. Business trips will require your full attention so it’s best not to leave employees asking you about such practical issues.
Don’t insist on traveling together
Whether it’s train, car or plain, you should always give your employees freedom to choose their seat or means of transport. While some people love to talk away the entire time, others prefer to sit silently with their iPad and relax. Since it’s not easy to predict what the preferences of your employees are, just sit apart – you can use the quiet time for yourself.
Lead your employees
During a business trip, all rules need to be adjusted to the new circumstances. Employees will look to you for suggestions on everything – how you dress when traveling or what you choose to do during the travel itself (working away or having fun with the in-flight entertainment?). Expect employees to follow your lead – set a good example.
Relax a little
Setting draconian rules for each and every aspect of the travel will bring adverse effects. It’s important to establish a policy for travel details like food or entertainment, but there are right and wrong ways to do that. If you tell employees that they can spend up to 50$ of food per day, they’ll spend it. If you tell them to be smart about spending company funds, they’ll spend much less.
Remind employees that this isn’t a vacation
Business trips offer plenty of occasions for fun, but it needs to be controlled. Grabbing a beer with your employees is alright, but think about how many you should drink and how far can you go without creating an overly casual environment. There will come a moment when you need to give critical feedback to your employees – being overly friendly with them is simply not in the best interest of the business.
Don’t drink too much
Drinking requires a special point of its own. Alcohol and business mix up well together, so if there are no personal convictions preventing you from drinking, you shouldn’t abstain while traveling. However, you should play it safe and know your limits. Getting drunk will not only undermine your professional reputation, but also make you regret all those comments or behaviors the day after.
Ask for feedback
Being out of the office gives a great perspective on office life – this is the moment when you can ask for feedback from employees about your performance as a manager. Find out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to office processes. Choose a friendly, disarming environment, not a serious conference room. Asking employees for feedback develops a mutual respect and creates some great energy.
Use the trip as an opportunity
Finally, during a trip you’ll have more opportunities to talk with your colleagues than usual. Use them to get to know them as humans – express curiosity about their hobbies and family. Be open in answering their questions about your life as well. Traveling together, people naturally become closer – and you can greatly capitalize on this relationship when back at the office.
Following these etiquette tips, you’ll ensure that your business travel proceeds smoothly and you return to the office with new enthusiasm, sharing positive energy with your employees.
