American companies tend to enforce stricter rules for business travel than organizations in many other countries, and U.S. travelers generally know and follow those guidelines, according to a report from American Express Global Business Travel.
The 2018 Global Business Travel Report, based on surveys conducted by research firm GfK, found that 78 percent of U.S. business travelers said they were extremely familiar with their company’s travel policies — a far higher rate than respondents in Australia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Singapore and India.
U.S. travelers were also the most likely to describe their corporate travel policies as “strict,” with 67 percent giving that assessment.
Compliance rates vary by country. About 40 percent of U.S. business travelers admitted they sometimes violate travel policies. That compares with 79 percent of travelers from Singapore, 67 percent from Germany, 66 percent from India, 64 percent from France, 61 percent from the U.K., and 52 percent from Australia.
The report also found that many policy breaches are pragmatic rather than negligent: a majority of travelers who go outside their company’s rules say they do so to reduce costs or secure better value for their employer.