Gracious reader,
Earlier in our careers, a close family member, "Sam," complained about his boss. After his first business trip for a new company, Sam submitted his expense report. Sam's boss had not been pleased.
Our conversation went something like this:
Me: What's the problem?
Sam: I spent $70 on a steak dinner.
Me: You can't really do that.
Sam: What? Traveling is an inconvenience to me: I deserve it. Anyways, I'd spend my own money like this...
Me: Companies usually have a guideline for what you can spend on meals each day. Apologize, and ask your boss for the guidelines.
Sam: (grumbles)
When I looked for good shares about "your first business trip," I found mostly life hacks. (Because people on the Internet want to sell you luggage.)
Messing up a life hack won't get you fired. A mistake on a business trip, might.
So this edition, a slightly different format: a How to Have a Job list of things to do when you're new to business travel, or new to an organization.
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Up in the Air
Career Advice
- Read your employee handbook to learn about per diems, allowable expenses, class of travel, preferred hotel chains and airlines, reimbursement process, and more. (Here's what this might look like in an established organization.)
- Talk with your manager. The written policy might not cover every grey area: ask your boss for any Do/Don'ts they've observed.
- Do bring cash on your trip. (h/t Alisha) Complete your expense report right after you get back: don't make anyone nag you for it.
- Skip the minibar, pay-per-view movies, and expensive solo dinners.
- And while on your trip, don't get drunk. Just don't. What happens in Vegas does not actually stay in Vegas -- it can stick to your career like bad cologne.
Client stuff
- Leave early for client appointments; in an unfamiliar town, you never know what might hold you up.
- Bring extra copies of presentations and collateral materials, hard copy and thumb drive. (What if you can't get online?)
- Only discuss client business in private, whether you're on the phone or with a colleague. On planes and in airports, I've overheard some cringe-worthy conversations that should have been confidential.
- Stick with professional attire, at the client and on your flight. You're traveling as your organization's representative: workout gear won't cut it.
Safety
Managers, before a new hire goes on their first trip, sit them down for a briefing on your organization's travel policies -- especially around budget. Don't let team members make unforced errors!
Contractors, before you travel, get a written reimbursement agreement in place.
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HTHAJ News
Experiment: for the next few issues, people who don't open How To Have a Job will receive it again. Mailchimp recently started recommending this shift in conventional wisdom/best practices, and I'm seeing it working in my own inbox.
You'll only see the second mail if you don't open the first one. (Or if software does something funky, yikes.)
If this sounds awful, simply reply to this note, and I will leave you off the "resend" list. After a few iterations, I'll report back on results.
Also, I have new things on deck for How to Have a Job. More on that next time!
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Traveling isn't always easy. So do find every hack that makes it manageable.
Remember, though: you're also managing your career.
Thank you to Kevin Huynh, whom I originally "met" via his lovely travel videos. Kevin graciously permitted me to make gifs from his work for this mail. Kevin's a co-founder of People & Company; we now both work out of Orbital. I love Kevin's post about packing for a 3 month journey around the world!
Thank you for reading. If you have questions or suggestions, I also love getting your mail. You'll hear back from me.
Thanks,
Anne Libby
P.S. My travel must-have: small post-its. Place them over sensors in airport lavatory stalls, toss them when you leave. Women's room denizens, you know what I mean.
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