POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TRAVEL POLICY

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1 TRAVEL POLICY Scope: This policy is applicable to all team members of WF team and team working on contract and other consultants who travel on foundation business, also referred to as WF team or team members in this document. Please review the Travel Policies and be aware of all of its provisions. It is the Managers responsibility to ensure that all team members reporting to them are aware of the policy. Travel Request, Approval & Authorization, Reservation: As far as possible, travel needs to be planned at least a week in advance. The travel request needs to be sent to the Admin team, along with the manager s approval ( ). Where the travel request are less than 1 week, reason for the same, manager s approval and the Controller or CEO approval will be needed. Admin team will book the Air/Rail/Bus travel, lodging and transportation. The team member also has an option to book his/her own ticket, hotel and get it reimbursed, the only criteria, be prudent as one is with their own personal expense. These cases will also require the Manager s approval and the intimating the Admin team. For guidelines on what the rate should be, the team member should reach out to the Admin team. The e ticket along with the boarding pass will have to be given along with the travel reimbursement form. All travel is in Economy, Coach Class and AC 2 tier. Cancellations and rescheduling: As far as possible, please avoid cancellations. Where absolutely needed, inform Admin team in writing, with a detailed explanation with a cc to the manager. Rescheduling due to tardiness, will result in the team member paying the differential cost. Combining Business and Personal Travel: Recognizing the active travel schedules of team members, as a convenience benefit, team members may add and pay for a personal leg to a business itinerary, while clearly distinguishing between foundation and personal expenses. Travel will accommodate the request. The differential, for the additional leg of the journey, if any and tickets of the family, can be paid to the agent or will be deducted from the salary or expenses of the team member. If a combined business/personal itinerary is equal to or less than the cost of a business only airfare, there is no cost to the Team member. Lodging costs, transportation and meals for additional family members are not reimbursable. Transportation: Cabs will be arranged upon request, where they are needed for the full day, with the due to the Admin team. Team members need to ensure that they note the beginning and ending meter readings and avoid approximation. Wherever available, team members are required to use Ola and Uber or other metered cabs that may be available. Where paid on their own, will be reimbursed. For Internal purpose only Page 1

2 Business Meals/ Entertainment: A meal consumed by a team member and other invited attendees when foundation related business is discussed during the meal. A business meal can also be defined as any meal consumed by the team member while the team member is traveling on foundation business. Meal expense must be ordinary and necessary i.e. an ordinary expense is an expense that is common and accepted in the foundation s course of business and one that is appropriate for the business. When more than one team member is present at a business meal, the team member with the highest ranking job level should pay the bill. In order to avoid a conflict of interest, grantees and potential grantees should not host team members. International Travel: Covered in Annexure 1. Others: Excess Baggage: The organization will reimburse any extra baggage carried for official purpose. The team member needs to give the details for the extra baggage during the travel settlement. Charges for any personal baggage carried during travel, foundation will not be responsible for the payment. Laundry Expenses: The team member can incur this expense under the following circumstances and if it is extremely necessary: i. Has been on travel for more than 5 days; ii. Trip has been extended, unplanned; and iii. Emergency Please note that prudency is expected, we do not unnecessarily incur laundry expenses on personal travel and the same is expected on travel from the foundation. Since most of the hotels are bill to company, the foundation will pay it, but if found unnecessary, will be deducted from salary. Air Mileage Programs: Managing the team member s air miles accounts is the responsibility of the team member. Airline miles earned while traveling on foundation business are retained by the team member. Frequent flyer miles or benefits are not reimbursable by the foundation, even if they are used on foundation business. Frequent flyer upgrades can be facilitated by the team member directly with the airline. Any associated costs are at the team member s expense. Staying with Family or Friends: If the team member has friends or family in the city he/she is travelling to, and chooses to stay with them, he/she can purchase a gift for the hosts: Stay for 1 2 night: Gift of up to USD 25 Stay for more than 3 nights: Gift of up to USD 40 Bills are required to be submitted for the purchase of gift, while claiming reimbursement. Claiming Reimbursements or Advances: Admin team will be booking the travel, lodging and transportation in most of the cases. Where the Admin team was unable to book and the team member has booked outside the network of our regular vendors, team member will have to pay the bills at the time of check out. This can be paid out of pocket and then claimed through the travel reimbursement process. For Internal purpose only Page 2

3 Reimbursements: Travel Reimbursement Form needs to be filled out completely. Once completed: India team: Forms should be printed and submitted along with the original bills to the Finance team. Photocopies or fax copies of invoices will not be acceptable. Credit card statements entries in lieu of invoices are also not acceptable. Teams outside India: Forms and receipts can be sent via . Settlement Deadline: Team Member must settle the travel claims within ten (10) working days from the date of return using the Travel Reimbursement form. This cannot be included with the regular monthly expense reimbursement. If the team member does not settle his/her travel bills within ten (10) working days of the trip, the organization has the right to deduct any advanced amounts from his/her salary. Expense approvals: Team members must submit their completed form to their managers for approvals, and where managers are not in the same place, the soft copy will be sent via . approval, in such cases, is acceptable. IF FORMS ARE SUBMITTED WITHOUT ADHERING TO THIS POLICY, ACCOUNTS WILL RETURN THE FORM WITHOUT AN EXPLANATION, RESULTING IN A DELAY IN REIMBURSEMENT. TEAM MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO REACH OUT TO THE FINANCE OR ADMIN TEAM BEFORE SUBMITTING THE FORM. For Internal purpose only Page 3

4 Annexure 1 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL Visas and Passports: Team members traveling internationally should check that their passport is current with at least six month validity and three blank visa pages. Expenses associated with obtaining a business visa or passport for travel for the foundation are reimbursable. Travel Insurance: Admin team will book the travel insurance for the team members when travelling abroad. Team members should ensure that they have received this information, and have necessary documentation before travelling. When team members combine their trip and make it personal trip as well, any additional amount required to be paid for themselves or for family members, will be paid by the team member. FOREX: Admin team will give the team member the necessary FOREX. In most cases, Dollars or Euros will be given, the team member can get necessary amount exchanged at the destination airport. And then exchange the rest as and when needed, in the destination city. Rental Car: In general, rental cars can be rented, in cities where public transport or cabs are not reliable, assuming the team member is confident and comfortable to drive in a foreign country. An intermediate or smaller car is the car type within policy; however, the size and type of the rental car should be appropriate for the number of people in the car and the road conditions on which it will be used. In car navigation systems and electronic toll payment options for rental cars are considered reimbursable. All other convenience options, e.g. satellite radio, are considered non reimbursable. When renting a car, you should purchase insurance at the time of the rental. In the event of an accident, please follow the rules prescribed by the rental car company. When renting a car, rental agencies could require an international driver s license depending on your Citizenship. The cost to acquire this license is reimbursable if the purpose of obtaining it is foundation business related. Please become familiar with these requirements prior to renting a vehicle. To maximize cost savings, team members should refuel rental cars prior to returning. Daily Allowance / Per diem: Team member has the option to avail per diem when he is travelling internationally. The option is for the entire trip and cannot be a day of per diem and next day actuals. If two or more people are travelling together, they all have to be on per diem or on actuals, cannot be one of each. Per diem covers: All expenses other than transportation and telephone (meals (99.9% of the time breakfast is covered), laundry, miscellaneous, sightseeing, etc.) When claiming per diem, receipt for expenses is not needed. Where the meals have been added to your room costs and billed to company, please do collect the invoice and adjust against your per diem claim. For Internal purpose only Page 4

5 Per diem rates are mentioned in the table below: Region USD Region USD India DEL, BOM, KOL, BLR, MAD $ 25 Kenya $ 30 India Non Metros $ 20 Uganda $ 30 Malaysia $ 30 Tanzania $ 30 Indonesia $ 30 Ethiopia $ 30 Philippines $ 40 Rwanda $ 30 Bangladesh $ 30 USA $ 60 Mexico $ 35 Chile $ 40 Peru $ 35 Columbia $ 35 Brazil $ 45 Others: Cell Phone: Admin team will make arrangements for a local cell phone for the team member. In certain cases it may be advisable for the team member to purchase a local phone in the destination country, which will be reimbursed. The domestic country may also have some temporary plans in place for international travel, please explore the same. Maximize the use of the hotel Wi Fi by way of apps like Skype, WhatsApp, etc. Team members have to at all time be prudent in selecting their options. For Internal purpose only Page 5