Standard Snapshot. This standard applies to all QIC Group personnel ( QIC Employees ), including:

Transcription

1 TRAVEL STANDARD Standard Snapshot Ensure high standards of probity and accountability are maintained in incurring travel expenditure. Give direction to QIC employees on the conduct expected of those who incur and approve. Application This standard applies to all QIC Group personnel ( QIC Employees ), including: All employees of QIC and its subsidiary companies Temporary staff (internally recruited or employed through agencies) Contractors operating on behalf of QIC or its subsidiary companies The Board of Directors of QIC and directors of all wholly-owned entities (companies, trusts and other legal structures) of the QIC Group The Travel Standard should be read in conjunction with the Management Guidelines. Both of which require compliance. Objective Travel expenditure must be for official purposes and provide an identifiable business benefit to QIC. As a Government Owned Corporation ( GOC ), QIC has a responsibility to ensure that high standards of probity and accountability are maintained in incurring travel expenditure. The objectives of this Standard are to: document the standards of probity and accountability that apply when incurring travel expenditure give direction to QIC employees on the conduct expected when incurring and approving travel expenditure ensure that all QIC Employees comply with the Travel Standard in order to protect the QIC brand and QIC s business support the mission and values of QIC by maintaining a high level of integrity and excellence, which will allow QIC to comply with its legal, regulatory and fiduciary obligations and protect the reputation of QIC, its clients and other stakeholders Principles The principles underlying this Standard are that travel expenditure should be: for official purposes Copyright QIC Limited. All rights reserved. Do not print, copy, disseminate or use, except in accordance with the prior written consent of QIC. DMS#432440v6

2 appropriate and reasonable, meaning that there is a significant business benefit, outweighing the cost of travel, that cannot be achieved in a more cost-effective way (for example by fewer employees travelling, by using telephone, videoconferencing or web based meeting facilities) the lowest logical cost of travel properly documented for corporate, accounting and taxation purposes, with the business purpose clearly identified available for scrutiny by both internal and external audit, the QIC Audit & Risk Committee and the QIC Board authorised and approved by an appropriate officer, pursuant to the QIC Corporate Delegations consistent with QIC s zero tolerance to bribery and corruption If an employee has any doubt about whether expenditure is for official purposes, they should pay the account themselves and then seek reimbursement from QIC. This will allow time for an independent assessment of the expense claim. Standard General Before requesting to undertake travel an employee must consider all alternative means to meet their business objective such as video or conference calls. The employee and approving manager must be satisfied that the travel accords with QIC and Queensland Government priorities. For international travel, details of how the work undertaken during travel will benefit QIC and Queensland must be documented. Additionally, the negative impact of not undertaking the travel is required to be documented for all international travel requests. All travel whether domestic or international must be approved prior to booking, using the preferred method (refer to the Management Guidelines). Domestic travel is within the borders of the origin country. International travel is wherever an international boundary is crossed. All travel within Europe is considered to be domestic travel for employees based in the UK. All travel must be booked through the nominated travel management company (TMC), unless under BCP circumstances where other booking methods are permissible. Exceptions may occur on a case-by-case basis (refer to Management Guidelines). Wherever possible, appointments should be arranged so as to avoid the need for an overnight or overweekend stay. A traveller may take leave while travelling on QIC business provided certain conditions are met (refer to the Management Guidelines). Similarly, a person on leave may attend business functions where there is significant business benefit to QIC, however only those expenses which are in addition to those the employee would normally have incurred will be reimbursed. 2 of 8

3 Air Travel Flights QIC adopts an open skies policy, meaning the lowest cost logical fare should be booked on any available airline wherever possible, whilst taking into account departure times, arrival times, safety and business needs. The lowest cost logical fare excludes the following carriers domestically: Jetstar and Tiger Airways. Wherever possible, all bookings should be made at least 14 days in advance of travel, to maximise available fare discounts. In order to ensure business continuity, teams should ensure they consider and manage risk factors in relation to employees from the same team travelling together. The size of the team and seniority of the employees travelling are key factors in this consideration. No more than two members of the Executive Committee or two members of the Board may travel on the same flight. Business Class air travel is permitted for all flights over four hours duration. Premium Economy should be considered as a cost effective alternative where available. Travellers wishing to fly Business Class for flights under four hours may utilise their frequent flyer points to upgrade or cover the difference in airfare cost from personal funds. When travelling internationally, connecting travel legs to reach the destination that are under four hours are considered part of the same flight, and can therefore be booked as Business Class or where Business Class is not available, First Class. Upon arriving at a destination however, subsequent flights to conduct business are not deemed connecting travel legs and should be booked in Economy when under four hours. Where in-flight food and beverages are not included in the price of the airfare, QIC will cover a reasonable cost from the daily meal allowance. Employees must actively re-use any non-refundable tickets held in credit from previously cancelled business trips. These tickets must only be used for business travel. Lounges QIC may, at its discretion, hold a corporate membership of an airline flight lounge to enable employees to access discounted individual membership rates. However, the cost of the individual membership must generally be met by the employee. The exception is where employees are likely to make more than twelve return trips per annum on QIC business, in which case QIC will fund the cost of an employee s flight lounge membership or reimburse them for the individual entry fee payable to a flight lounge. Access to discounted or paid membership rates will cease upon termination of the employee s employment with QIC. Frequent flyer / traveller schemes Membership to award programs and frequent flyer / frequent traveller schemes is at the discretion and cost of employees. Points accrued by an employee on personal credit cards, QIC-funded flights or QICfunded accommodation are available for that person s private use, subject to the conditions set out in the frequent flyer / frequent traveller scheme. The desire to earn loyalty points must not be a determining factor when considering travel options. 3 of 8

4 Ground Transport Employees are expected to use the lowest cost option for QIC-funded ground transport having regard to the circumstances, including the number of persons travelling, number of connections, time constraints and so on. Airport / hotel shuttles and air-train services should be considered as cost-effective alternatives to taxi travel. QIC may, at its discretion, hold a corporate account with one or more ground transport provider(s) which may be utilised for business travel (refer to Management Guidelines). Hire cars Hire cars may be used while travelling where it is cost-effective to do so and should be included in the travel request. A pre-requisite condition is that the employee holds a valid driver s licence. The maximum permitted hire car charge is that pertaining to a standard family vehicle (for example Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore). If a traveller will be travelling over toll roads, arrangements should be made with the hire car provider to cover these where possible, or the traveller should arrange the payment of individual tolls as they occur either by corporate credit card or personal funds which would be reimbursed. If despite the traveller s best efforts a toll infringement occurs, any administration fees charged by the hire car company will be considered a business expense and not recoverable from the traveller. The traveller must ensure appropriate levels of insurance apply to the car hire (refer to the Management Guidelines). Any portion of the hire charge that relates to private usage must be reimbursed to QIC on completion of the trip. The hire car should be refuelled by the employee prior to its return (or pre-purchased from the car provider where available) but without risk of missing a scheduled flight. No reimbursement will be made for parking fines or traffic offences incurred by an employee. Employees should note that whilst GPS systems may be requested when booking a hire car they are unable to be confirmed, so should therefore not be relied upon. Use of personal vehicle Subject to certain conditions, an employee may use their own personal vehicle for local business travel where this option is cost-effective and has the advance authorisation of an approving officer. Before approving the use of a personal vehicle for which a mileage allowance will be paid, the approving officer should sight evidence that the vehicle is covered by appropriate insurance and that the employee holds a valid driver s licence. Mileage allowance is assessable for personal income tax purposes and must be processed via payroll, not included on an employee expense reimbursement claim. The employee may claim a mileage allowance based on the size of the vehicle and kilometres travelled for business purposes, together with any ancillary costs incurred. Current mileage rates are published in AUD on the QIC intranet. Equivalent amounts will be paid to employees not located in Australia. Travel between home and work is generally not reimbursable unless an equivalent trip by taxi would be classed as a business expense (for example home to airport). The cost of parking fines or traffic offences incurred while a personal vehicle is used for business purposes is not reimbursable. Airport parking should be avoided unless cost-effective. The use of short-term parking at an airport would only be only appropriate for absences of less than two days. 4 of 8

5 Accommodation A maximum hotel rate cap has been established by QIC (refer to the Management Guidelines). Accommodation is encouraged to be booked through QIC s travel agent and via the online tool if travelling domestically, except under BCP circumstances where alternative booking methods are permissible. Where practical, employees should schedule interstate appointments so as to avoid the need to travel the night before and stay in overnight accommodation. To take advantage of discounts and added benefits from preferred hotels, QIC may nominate particular hotels in certain cities at which all bookings should be made, where accessible. Details of preferred hotels are published on the QIC intranet and the online travel booking tool. Where no preferred hotels are available, employees should choose accommodation of a similar standard. A traveller s desire to earn frequent guest points cannot be the primary reason for choice of accommodation or negate the use of preferred hotels. Accommodation in one location for more than six consecutive nights should be at a venue more suited to a longer-term stay, for example a residential hotel or self-contained apartment. This would also apply in the case of accommodation for employee relocation. For international travellers, accommodation that includes breakfast and gym facilities in the daily rate should be booked for short term visits of six consecutive nights or less. Where gym facilities are not available, employees are able to use the international travel allowance outlined in Appendix A to cover these expenses. Meals QIC will cover the cost of sustenance for travellers up to a daily limit (refer to Management Guidelines). Sustenance means meals similar to that which a person would eat at home. Meals deemed to be lavish, of multiple courses, and/or including excessive alcohol will be deemed entertainment and subject to Fringe Benefits Tax. The daily limit is expected to cover three meals and should be apportioned appropriately. Individual staff drinks and snacks are not covered unless associated with a client or external meeting (refer Management Guidelines for exceptions). Wherever possible accommodation rates should include breakfast and the cost of such will be estimated for inclusion in the calculation of the daily limit. Room service may be used as an alternative to restaurant or café dining provided costs are contained within the specified daily limit. Where meals are included on a hotel account to be paid by QIC, it is preferable for the employee to pay any excess over the daily limit to the hotel when checking out. Where this is not possible, a payroll deduction will be made. The daily limit amount is not cumulative (i.e. cannot be carried forward to subsequent days within the same stay). Where meals while travelling include client entertainment, the QIC Entertainment Policy applies. Other Incidental expenses QIC will reimburse travellers for the value of business related incidental items to pre-determined limits (refer to Management Guidelines). Wherever possible a traveller should use a corporate credit card to cover all expenses, including incidentals. 5 of 8

6 Due to variances in taxation law around the world, an allowance may or may not be given to a traveller in advance of travel. Where an allowance is not given in advance, reimbursement of personal funds used up to pre-determined limits (refer to Management Guidelines) may be claimed upon submission of receipts in the approved format. Where an allowance is given in advance, any and all unused funds are to be returned to QIC. Any item considered to be personal in nature, not essential to business travel, will not be reimbursable (refer to Management Guidelines). Telephone and business centre charges All smartphone/tablet users should have data services while roaming set to off when travelling overseas, to avoid unnecessary costs (refer to the IT Service Centre and the latest Global Roaming Guide on the intranet for assistance). Wifi networks are commonly available and should be utilised wherever possible. It is mandatory for data services to be switched off if not travelling for business purposes. All costs incurred outside of normal monthly usage amounts, whilst on personal or annual leave, will be required to be reimbursed to QIC by the individual. QIC will meet the cost of business calls and a reasonable number of personal calls when employees are travelling on business. Travellers should bear in mind that international dialling is costly and should use the most cost-effective option available. The duration of personal calls should be limited to an amount that is reasonable in the circumstances. Where possible, employees should avoid the use of hotel telephones. Refer to IT & Facilities for options and assistance. QIC will meet the reasonable cost of business centre charges (for example photocopying and facsimile charges) for work-related purposes. Travel insurance QIC has a Corporate Insurance Policy that covers injury to employees or loss or damage to property when business travel is undertaken. Policy details and a claims handling service are provided by the Corporate Secretariat team. Employees should be aware that the insurer may seek to impose restrictions on employee travel to certain locations to limit risk exposure, particularly in the case of international travel and it is a requirement to check the DFAT site for security risks and note the recommendations on the international travel request form. Employees should liaise with the Corporate Secretariat team to ascertain any such restrictions prior to booking travel. There are also restrictions relating to pre-existing health conditions. Prior to travel, all employees should ensure that they are familiar with the circumstances and events specifically excluded by the insurer. Electronic equipment will not be insured if the equipment is unattended, unless securely locked inside a building or out of sight in a locked vehicle. Further, electronic items checked-in and not packed in personal cabin baggage will not be insured. QIC electronic items must be taken on-board as cabin luggage and also stored out of sight in locked vehicles / buildings to ensure insurance policy coverage. QIC items should be labelled with appropriate contact numbers whilst travelling. All travellers must also be aware that QIC is unable to lodge an insurance claim for loss of cash after travel. Should cash be lost or stolen whilst travelling, the traveller must advise the Corporate Secretariat team as soon as possible. Any questions regarding travel insurance should be directed to the Corporate Secretariat team. 6 of 8

7 Travel expenses of an associate Employees wishing to have an associate(s) accompany them on business travel should seek the prior approval of the CEO who will take into account the business purpose of the trip. The associate(s) will be subject to all QIC Policies and Standards. The costs of an associate s travel will only be reimbursable in exceptional circumstances where the associate s accompaniment will be of clear business benefit to QIC. Ordinarily, the employee would be required to pay the cost of fares, additional accommodation charges beyond those that would apply to the employee, meals, and incidentals for the associate(s). Procedures Refer to the Management Guidelines for procedures relating to before and after travel. Before travel A travel request form in the approved format should be completed and submitted to the relevant approving officer in accordance with the entity s Delegations of Authority. These forms are available on the QIC Travel Portal via the intranet. Refer to the Management Guidelines for approval requirements. It is the employee s responsibility to ensure they have a current passport and correct documentation in advance of travel, as well as ensuring that they have all necessary vaccinations/inoculations for all countries to be visited. After travel A traveller must complete a travel diary in the following circumstances: the travel is outside Australia and the employee is away for more than five nights the travel is within Australia and the travel was not undertaken exclusively for the purpose of performing employment duties If returning from international travel, an International Travel Report is to be completed in the approved format. Reporting to shareholding Ministers As a Government Owned Corporation, QIC is required to report international travel expenditure to its shareholding Ministers publicly and may require release of names of individuals who participated at an event. Consequences of non-compliance Corporate Finance will monitor compliance of the Travel Standard and Management Guidelines and the following action may be taken: In the circumstance where the incident is not clearly defined as non-compliance it will be reported to the Executive Director, Finance. Any instances where non-compliance of the Standard has clearly taken place will result in remedial action being taken in the form of disciplinary action, lodgement of a Breaches and Incident Notice and/or payroll recovery. 7 of 8

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