You have been invited for your first work related trip. This could be a one day conference, or an event that involves an overnight stay, maybe a flight, or long distanced travelling with your colleagues. How do you prepare for that situation? You asked everyone in the team who is your senior, and got really vague answers. Hopefully, this post will be a little bit more informative for you.
Dress code
These events are work related, so there is a 100 % chance that it is just your normal office wear. However, that’s not always the case. The first part is to ask if additional clothing or PPE is required and provided. Asking/ finding out early, will mean you will get some additional information about what to expect about the day, and that will help you prepare on what your clothes will be.
Note: there is a very likely chance that you will be sweating, and feeling flustered, so dress accordingly, whilst adhering to the dress code of the work trip.
Identify the location
Google maps is very handy. See the distance from your home to the work trip location. Find the time it would take to get there using different modes of transport. Train, car and taxi are pretty common. Along with the location, check how long the event is. This is important, because companies should care about your welfare, and shouldn’t accept you commuting at extended hours.
Accommodation and transport
If you find that the location is far, and requires late/early travel you would be recommended to get accommodation. Most companies have credit cards – use it! Why are you paying for a 3-figure hotel room, and betting on the reimbursement coming back to your account quickly? Use the facilities that the company provides. If they have a website that you book accommodation through, use it. If there is a credit card, request it and use it.
With transport, this varies. If you know the people who are attending, and you don’t mind the thought of travelling with them, see if you can book together, or carpool. If this can’t work for you, get that company credit card and book your train, or pay with your own cash and get reimbursed for your taxi. This is a work event, and just because you suffer at work, it does not mean, you should suffer in the in between moments of a work event.
Side story
I recently went to a work conference in London. I was notified about my attendance last minute, so hotels weren’t going to be cheap. Thankfully, since I made sure to use the company credit card, it wasn’t too soul destroying that the hotel was not great. Reimbursement takes about a month, (if there are no issues), so I wasn’t going to spend my own money for a work event, that I was informed about last minute.
I also kept every receipt of things I used my money for. This was ubers, underground tickets and food. The worst thing they can say is “no we won’t reimburse these”, but as long as they are from you attending an actual work event that you were requested to attend, they really have no leg to stand on. Because of this, I later claimed back over £30, which I spent on my time at this conference. And waiting to see that £30 come back to my account, was less painful than waiting for the £200+ that I used the company card for the hotel and train.
Accommodation and transport: Continued
Companies normally have a ‘spending limit’ for hotels, and T&Cs for trains and travel. Read these before making any purchases, it saves any backlash coming in the future. Sometimes, you will end up in a situation where the accommodation will exceed the spending limit, but it’s the only thing available. This hasn’t happened to me yet, but if it happens to you go straight to your manager and discuss the next steps. The company might be able to accommodate in these circumstances.
The day before the work trip
When you prepare for a work trip, you need to do 2 final checks. One on the week before and the other on the day before. This is to make sure, everything is in place, to minimise stress, mistakes and disaster on the day of the work trip.
Work trip: One week before
Check that accommodation and travel is sorted. This will leave enough time to iron out any uncertainties.
Work trip: The day before
On the day before you go, go through your email and see if there is any information you need to print before attending. Some events are ticketed, and you need to bring a copy of your ticket. Some company accommodation booking agencies, have specific steps that you need to follow when checking in and out of the accommodation. They will most likely require a VAT receipt. Get a paper copy from the hotel, in case they forget to email a copy straight to your company.
Side story
My first ever work trip with an overnight stay, was 5 weeks into my graduate job. The company booked the hotel and emailed me the booking confirmation. My dumbass thought it was sorted and didn’t think to look at the confirmation document. I get to the hotel, and decide to check in. I have a complicated first name, so the company has that for legal purposes, but I go by my middle name which I have known my whole life. None of my names were on the book. I had no idea what name my room was under, and I was panicked. This was a two-day conference, and it was looking like I would have to sleep in my line managers car, because I didn’t want to share the room with her.
Thankfully, she had the company credit card, and they had spare rooms, so we booked another room. My anxiety was at its highest, and I no longer could relax in the lavish 4 star hotel we were in. It was lush and wasted on a work event.
That’s not the end, however. A few weeks later when the company was going through the expenses, I was contacted because the hotel sent them an invoice with 2 bookings supposedly with my name on them. It was a 4-5 weeklong email chain discussion, which ended with my line manager calling up the expense team and explaining it, since they couldn’t get why I booked a hotel room with them, and then used the company credit card to book another room for the same night. I was mortified and thought they would take the room payment out of next months pay. And for a whole 12 months, I refused to attend conferences that involved overnight accommodation.
So, print things out. Or at least have it on your mobile phone. Because I am in a high security workplace, it made sense for me to print, rather than send things across the email server to my personal account. Or have a company mobile phone, which I personally refuse for my own reasons.
Work trip: The day before continued
On the day before you go, pack your stuff (unless you super organised you can do it a few days before). Make sure you have a toothbrush, face cloth, socks, medicines, and underwear. Along with your clothes, necessary documents and any additional items required (ie PPE, display board).
Food
At most work trips, food is provided and it’s normally lunch and some snacks. Breakfast and dinner are normally provided when there is an overnight stay involved.
This lamb curry was very enjoyable at the conference
Check your company T&Cs, as sometimes they are happy to reimburse your food and drink to a limit. Why not take advantage when you can?
Last thing to prepare for a work trip
Some say you can relax on these work trips, but I know they are work events, so I technically never feel relaxed. If you can though, do it. These events are beneficial for career trajectory, so put yourself out there.
Moral of my story
- Prepare in advanced – Ask questions when you’re confused or unsure, but you need the time to get the correct answers, so do it early
- If there is a credit card use it! – Because it’s not your money, and the company should be covering for you anyways, this is a work trip.
- Check those T&Cs – Make sure that you are doing what is within the company means. If you breach them, then it’s only you that will lose out
- Print items – Without these printouts the work trip won’t be as fun. Or have a copy of it on your easy access devices.
- Network – These events aren’t just you being a representative of the company, you are representing yourself. Get yourself known and out there in the industry.
