The proliferation of travel has opened up the entire world to those willing to explore. Despite this well-worn observance, many business travellers don't pay enough attention to the fact that continents, countries and even separate areas of a single country can often be very different. You may well be able to get a direct flight from London Heathrow to Pyongyang, but it's unlikely that travellers can conduct business there as they would at home.
For those travelling on business, an awareness of the nuances of the country they are visiting can make the difference between making that deal or travelling back with little to show.
Organisations and TMCs can help these employees, preparing them for what they will encounter once they're off the runway, keeping them safe, informed and successful. From cultural quirks and hospitality through to an organisation's duty of care and financial awareness, we've built up a lot of knowledge through our years working across the globe. Here are some of the areas both travellers and their companies need to be aware of when travelling internationally for business.
Death by presentation
Picture the scene. The traveller is heading out to Finland for an important presentation. They briefly introduce themselves, set up in the boardroom and begin to make the pitch. To absolute silence.
In contrast, they make the same presentation in South Africa. They finish the initial point when one audience member questions it. And another says honestly that they already aren't sure about the argument.
Given both the excellent English of the Finnish and South Africans, and how on the face of it, their cultures may seem fairly similar to the UK, the cultural tones of their meetings can often be a shock to unwitting participants from abroad.
If a traveller is not prepared for the norms of meetings in a foreign country, it's clear to see how this could impact their performance. Companies should prepare information packs as standard for any business trip, briefing those attending in as much detail as possible, regardless of where they are heading or how small the point being made may seem at first glance. FAQs may be seen as a little old-fashioned, but their importance cannot be underestimated.
Social butterfly
Equally as important is a knowledge of culture when entertaining; it's long been said that deals are made final over a drink. However, your colleagues would do well not to take their beverage outside the bar in some US states, as it's illegal. Or to pour it yourself in Japan, a major violation of etiquette, or toast compatriots with a beer in Georgia — seen as a direct insult. These points may seem inconsequential, but can make all the difference when connecting with people is so vital to international business.
A personal experience was a trip to India many years ago, where, as a director-level employee, I was treated exceedingly well. However, when at dinner, any local employee that felt I was higher on the corporate chain than them would swiftly end the conversation with me. As I had been briefed before, I knew that this was a product of the hierarchical nature of business in the region, and not that I had done something to offend.
With the rapid pace of business in 2017, information needs to be sent to travellers directly and as quickly as possible. Smartphones are an indispensable way to give this kind of information, and applications should be used as the conduit. TripLingo is one such application that links with the schedules and location of travellers through an 'ecosystem' of technology to deliver timely and vital information.
Your employees could build a better rapport by sticking to local customs ©Instants/iStock
When can beer be considered bribery?
It's important to note it's not just customs, but also the law that varies in different countries and verticals for business entertainment. Healthcare in the US is one example of this. The Sunshine Act was brought in to shed light on the somewhat murky financial waters between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organisations, and could well turn your round of drinks at the end of a trade show into a bribery case.
A significant point is also that this tracks across multiple employees — if you buy someone a drink you're well within your rights, but if your colleague does the same for them later on in the night it could tip the expenditure over the edge. Be aware of the local limits, be that in terms of geography or industry. It's important that these points and the cultural limits of entertainment are put across to all employees before they travel.
Linking the journey
But if your colleagues are going to break bread after the meeting, they need to travel there first. To ensure that duty of care is in place as comprehensively as can be, there needs to be as few blank spots in employee tracking as possible. This is why I recommend to any employees that they use app-based services such as Uber, Gett and Lyft as much as possible.
My reasoning is that this new generation of ground transportation carefully tracks and monitors its drivers, to the point where they can revoke a driver account in a matter of minutes. It's also worth remembering that jumping in a regular cab may result in an expensive fare and a loss of trackability in some areas of the world; in others, it can often be a far more dangerous mistake to make.
Less blind spots make for a far more comprehensive duty of care plan for travel managers, which has never been more necessary in today's political climate. It's not just less-developed countries that need careful employee monitoring; the USA, Britain, France and Belgium are just some of the countries that have suffered major attacks in the last year or so.
It's a company's responsibility to know when an event has occurred and where all of their travelling staff are in that moment in time. The more data points — with trackable ground transportation being just one example — that can be used to check in and communicate with business travellers, the better.
The driver tracking technology is also available for other parties to use and integrate with their APIs.
Per diems
Ground transportation is just one area that can result in some interesting scenarios in the Middle East too. Recently, we have also seen a great deal more work carried out in the region, in particular the Gulf States. This throws up a unique cultural norm when it comes to business finance: per diem allowances.
This is a system whereby employees are given a set amount of money per day to cover business expenses — a set amount that they get to keep, regardless of whether it is spent or not. By working as, for all intents and purposes, a supplementary income, this could mean the traveller ends up picking up the cheque — after all, they can account for where the money was spent and claim it back. It can also result in accommodation being organised with friends and family of the host — the less money spent by them on arrangements, the less they lose from per diem budgets.
However, the per diem world is undergoing transition in the Middle East, with the introduction of an initial 5% VAT in the region. Businesses are going to be faced with the choice of either adding 5% onto employees' per diem budgets, or could move forward with automated expense solutions, allowing them to log business purchases and reclaim the 5% — another point for business travellers to bear in mind.
Stay informed
From making a human connection with those abroad and keeping your cool in meetings, to keeping safe and not breaking any local laws, the responsibility for these points lies with both the traveller and the travel manager. Listen to experienced and informed colleagues, use the best tech possible, and make smart decisions to fuel a successful trip. Better the devil you know.