Employee Staying Connected Even Outside Their Office

Americans are starting to travel more as their economic concerns continue to lessen. Roughly 34 million people will travel 50 miles or more during the Labor Day weekend, according to a report from AAA - representing an increase of over 4 percent when compared to figures from 2012. However, just because professionals are getting away from the office for the holidays doesn't mean they don't still intend on going to work. In fact most of the employees are having the hard time while they are away with their offices due to the lot of things that are concerning and lying in their hands. So,e of the employees are concerning for so many things and one of these are the expense reports that they are need to finished after they back in office.

A recent report states that more than four out of every five employees checks in to their office even when they're off on vacation, suggesting that business owners should investigate new ways to optimize the way their employees work away from the office. The "Workcation National Survey" found that 42 percent of U.S. employees check in the office once a day when they're off on vacation, and that an additional 40 percent of workers check in more than once a day, according to PGi, the firm who conducted the study.

Their method was varied - 40 percent of respondents used smartphones to check in, and 11 percent used laptops - but the vast majority simply can't stop working.

"The survey findings illustrate an increasingly accepted norm in which the lines between work and personal lives are blurring," said Sean O'Brien, the executive vice president of Strategy & Communications at PGi. "It's indicative of a trend we're seeing in the market as 'work' becomes less about the place you go, but more closely aligned with getting the job done. As remote working continues to gain momentum, employees and employers will increasingly rely on technology that allows teams to effectively collaborate with each other no matter where they are."

The findings suggest that business owners should investigate ways they can allow their workers to conduct official company business even when they're on vacation. With the help of travel and expense reporting, it's possible that workers could go to work on office tasks while on vacation - without having to dip into their own funds. With Certify's software, all a worker has to do is take a picture of the receipt, and upload it into the cloud based database, at which point any manager can verify the costs. With expense reporting software, you can accentuate the work that your employees do while on vacation.

"The majority of today's workers stay connected while on vacation, and they want tools that allow them to effectively manage their work responsibilities and quickly return to their vacation," said O'Brien.

Revealing Business Travelers Techniques

Some companies implement travel policies to ensure that business travel expenses are kept to a minimum, while other companies use expense reporting technology to track and manage travel costs. Some business travelers, according to a recent report, are even turning to fast food in order to reduce their meal costs during business trips.

Certify recently found that the most frequent breakfast eatery for business travelers was Starbucks, 14 percent of all responding travelers reporting that they had purchased food from the coffee shop while traveling for business. Respondents spent an average of $8.44 per meal at the location, illustrating how travelers are able to keep their meal expenses low by turning to restaurant chains. Certify's data was drawn from the last three months of 2013, ensuring that the information recorded is current and relevant.

For lunch and dinner, the fast food trend continues. Certify found that McDonald's was the most frequently chosen restaurant by travelers, further bolstering the idea that low-cost fast food restaurants are becoming more attractive than ever for on-the-go employees. The average amount spent by business travelers for both lunch and dinner at McDonald's was under $7.50 - far below what most businesses are used to reimbursing for lunch or dinner expenses.

Bob Neveu, chief executive at Certify, explained to The Los Angeles Times that the report makes sense because fast food and other quick-service eating establishments offer a number of benefits for business travelers: they are often conveniently located, the service is prompt, and many even offer wireless access so that individuals can complete their work while eating their meal.

"Most people are traveling individually, and they are out for the week trying to get something fast, convenient and consistent that is within their company policy," Neveu told the news outlet.

For many businesses, putting a cap on exorbitant travel costs is a top priority. Eating at fast-food restaurants is one way of doing so - but it's not the only way. With the help of expense reporting technology, such as the technology offered by Certify, traveling workers will be able to keep their travel expenses low, even without eating their dinners at low-cost chain restaurants. These expense report technologies can track and analyze costs in real time, eliminate out-of-policy reimbursements and do much more to keep a business’s T&E budget down.