Objectives and Scope

To facilitate and outline procedure for domestic business travel, food and accommodation and other related expenses incurred during the business travel.

This policy envisages that team member while incurring such expenses will apply reasonable discretion, adhering to the guidelines of this policy at all times.

Applicability

The domestic travel policy is applicable to the team members of Ample at Level 2 to Level 5 (Reference: Domestic Travel Guideline Document – Annexure).

Classification of cities

The following is the classification of cities for the purpose of reimbursement of expenses.

Class A

Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad

Class B

All state capitals Other than mentioned in “A”, Pune, Cochin, Coimbatore

Class C

All other cities and towns not covered in “A” and “B”, Trivandrum, Pondicherry

Reimbursement of expenses towards food and beverages

Team member, while on business tour is eligible for reimbursement of expenses towards food and beverages as per the Level and grade of the team member. The reimbursement limit has been fixed basis the classification of cities (Ref: Domestic Travel Guideline Document).

Procedure for Booking Travel / Accommodation

• Admin Executive will make all travel and accommodation arrangement with the exception of unplanned travel arising due to emergency situations.
• Well plan your schedule during the business tour and accordingly raise a request for your accommodation to be arranged
• While planning travel the team member has to provide details of travel (to & from) to the Admin Executive of the location (post approval by Department Head) in the Travel request format attached, via email.
• In order to get the best possible deals, rates, seats and rooms, bookings to be planned well ahead giving maximum advance notice (minimum 24 hours advance).
• Emergency bookings will be entertained only for valid, last minute requirements, as approved by the Department Head.
• According to the ‘Level and Grade’ of the team members, the Admin Executive will book the to & fro tickets (Air/Train/Bus etc.) and stay (Ref: Domestic Travel Guideline Document – Annexure – I).
• The Admin Manager will update the ‘List of Hotels’ on a biannual basis and send the updated list to Admin Executives across locations.
• Upon making the bookings, the Admin Executive will send an email confirming of all details of travel to team member who is scheduled to travel, copying the Department Head.
• Team members, scheduled to travel need to revert to the Admin Executive via return mail reconfirming the details of travel.
• Tickets, etc., will be sent or collected immediately on receipt, well before date of travel.
• In case of emergency or last minute bookings to be directly done by the team member, he / she will refer to the ‘Grades and Levels Matrix’ for understanding the ‘Level’ he / she comes under.
• Team members shall be given shared accommodation if two of them travel together to a same city and for the same duration of stay.
• When a team comprising team members of different grades, is traveling together for a common assignment, the stay of the entire team could be approved in the same hotel (specified for higher grades) on Twin sharing basis, in order to maintain the spirit & moral of the team.
• Team members need to follow “Check -in and Check-out” cycle time as applicable (Stay at a Hotel / Service apartment as the case may be) to avoid over stay and cost incurred due to late checkout.

Note: If team members have planned two days of business tour with an overnight stay and return on the second day, we recommend them to check out on the second day (check-in & check-out basis 24hrs cycle) and go with one of the options to take care of their baggage without extending their stay at the hotel / service apartment for the second day.

1) Check with the Hotel / service apartment on the possibilities of letting them keep their baggage and collect it by the end of the day.

or

2) Keep their baggage either in one of our stores or in HO as per their convenience.

Bleisure (Leisure break at the end of the business travel)

• In line with the growing trend in business travel, team members can extend travel and take a leisure break at the end of their business travel. (For example: Exploring the city / nearby tourist places visiting native place etc, (If native place is near by travelled location)
• Bleisure trip is subject to an approval from reporting manager.
• Maximum of 03 days of break can be availed. (Recommended that if the business travel is till weekend, team member extends his/her stay over weekend and take bleisure trip and undertakes return journey so as to report to work on the next working day).
• Accommodation, food and other relevant expenses / allowances would not be reimbursed while team member is on Bleisure trip.
• Team member is eligible to get return ticket reimbursed as per the travel eligibility clause of the business travel policy, however any differential amount in travel ticket due to bleisure trip has to be borne by the team member.
• Team member is required to submit their plan about bleisure trip that he/she would like to avail, at the time of requesting for business travel such that tickets for return journey shall be booked well in advance so as to avail better fare.

Note : In case return journey is not confirmed at the time of travel, team member can plan to take a leisure break depending upon the business schedule and possible end date of business tour.

Travel advance

• Team members, scheduled to travel, shall fill the details of the travel in a “Travel Advance Request Form” and send it to their respective Department Head for approval.
• Department Head shall approve the Travel advance request and forward the same to finance to release the amount (Ref: Domestic Travel Guideline Document).
• Team members, who need to travel on an emergency, where he / she cannot avail travel advance shall need to spend on their own and get the amount reimbursed upon returning.
• Travel advance for any journey will only be granted if all previous travel expenses and IOUs have been settled.

Procedure for cancellation of Travel

• Team members will need to plan their travel well in advance, in order to avoid cancellations, and therefore any corresponding loss incurred.
• Cancellations shall be considered on account of crises, emergencies, for unforeseen reasons and circumstances.
• The travelling team member will call and then send an email immediately (copying the respective Department Head) on realizing that he / she needs to cancel the travel bookings.
• The Admin Executive will immediately cancel the tickets / bookings, ensuring no/minimal loss incurred, resulting from cancellations.

Incidental Expenses

Incidental Expenses are reimbursed on a per day basis for actual expenses incurred for the following (where expenses cannot be supported with bills).

1. Laundry expenses
2. Porter charges
3. Mineral water and beverages
4. Tips in hotel and Lodge
5. Parking and waiting charges

Reimbursement of telephone expenses

• Telephone calls made for urgent business transactions shall be reimbursed.
• Telephone calls made to home while on travel would be reimbursed, up to a maximum of Rs.50 for every 3 days.

Claiming reimbursement of travel expenses

• Team members need to submit the expense claim form to finance department within 30 days of return from the business tour.
• Duly filled expense claim form along with all the necessary supporting bills need to be first submitted to the Head of the Department for approval.
• Duly approved expense claim form shall then be submitted to the finance department for processing reimbursement.

Exclusion

The following expenses are not admissible for reimbursements

1. Stay beyond business requirement
2. Additional expenses due to change in travel routes for personal purposes.
3. Accompanying family members
4. Fines for traffic and parking violations
5. Extra personal luggage
6. Liquor and cigarette expenses
7. Entertainment expenses while on tour (Unless approved by management)

Note: Management shall reserve the right to modify / amend or withdraw in whole or part of any terms and conditions thereof as and when required.
 Management shall have the discretion to disallow any claim, which is not justifiable or is unreasonable.

Matrix for mode of travel and local travel arrangement

The select mode of travel is based on the Level / Grade of team members and it shall be as per the suitable / available mode of travel for a given city of travel.

Annexure – I

Mode of Domestic business travel and local travel arrangement while on tour

Annexure-II

Daily Permissible Expense limits

Others / Incidental Expenses are reimbursed on a per day basis for actual expenses incurred for *Laundry expenses, *Porter charges, *Mineral water / Beverages, *Tips in Hotel and Lodge * Parking/ waiting charge For which supporting bills are not available.

*Please note that if your travel time exceeds 10 hours (via the land route), you are eligible for air travel, irrespective of your grade.

Travel advance

Applicability: Applicable only to Level 4 & 5

Travel advance shall be processed basis 75% of estimated expense of food and beverages, local travel expense for number of days stay during the business tour.

It is calculated as per the permissible amount for the Level and Grade concerned.

(For example, if per day reimbursement limit towards food and beverages is Rs. 500/- and travel expense is Rs. 500/-, the estimated travel is for 5 days, the Travel advance eligibility is 75% of (500+500)*5 days = 75% of Rs.5,000/-, which amounts to Rs. 3,750/- for the entire duration of scheduled tour.)

International Travel Policy

General guidelines

• For booking international travel and accommodation, team members must raise the travel request on Zoho at least 60 days before the travel dates, considering the visa processing and documentation timelines. All overseas travel requires the approval of the HOD. The HOD must approve the request within 2 days.
• Travel Desk shall arrange the tickets and accommodation within 7 days of the HOD approving the request.
• The TAT for visa processing shall vary as per the destination country.
• Travel Desk shall book the tickets and accommodation as per the respective team member’s eligibility
• Team members shall be eligible for economy class air tickets, if the travel time is less than 16 hrs. When the travel time exceeds 16 hrs, the members will be eligible for the premium economy class (subject to availability).
• The daily allowance indicated in the table is the maximum amount payable against supporting bills. Allowances will cover the below expenses during official travel:

1. Meals, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages
2. Bottled water
3. Magazine/newspaper

• Additionally up to 10% tips with supporting bills
• Local conveyance & airport taxi claims is based on actuals and is not a part of the daily allowance
• When the travelling team member is in transit and his/her wait-time is long, he/she must claim the expenses incurred at the airport based on supporting bills/documents and as per the applicable daily allowance.
• When 2 or more team members are travelling together, common expenses, if any, like taxi fares can be claimed by one member and approved by his/her reporting manager.
• Members dining together can submit a single food bill for the group and claim an amount equal to the total per day, based on the eligible amount for all members.
• Expenses without supporting bills will be reimbursed, provided they don’t exceed 30% of the total allowance (sum total of the daily allowance of the journey mentioned in annexure).
• Travel Desk shall be notified about any change in the travel plan, within the given timelines to minimise corresponding losses.

Domestic: At least 72 hrs before the travel start date.

International: At least 15 days before the travel start date.

• Extra baggage expenses shall be reimbursed only for the company material/samples carried during travel. Laundry charges can be reimbursed for a travel duration of 5 days or more on actuals
• No extra claim shall be allowed on the flight.
• Travel Desk will make ticketing arrangements for the family members of Amplites who are travelling for official purposes. The additional cost incurred will be deducted from the team member’s salary.

Travel Advance

• A daily allowance shall be paid, in the local currency of the destination country or USD, as per the travelling Amplite’s request and availability of the currency.
• An advance up to a maximum of 200% of the daily allowance can be availed. The advance will be paid through a prepaid forex card. 75% of the advance will be loaded onto the card and 25% as cash in the respective currency (when a card is not available, travel advance will be released in cash). For example, if the number of travel days is 5, and the allowance/day is $100, then the Amplite will be eligible for a total allowance of $500. The Amplite can then take an advance of $1000 ($500*2).
• Any advance taken must be settled with all supporting bills, within 15 days of the Amplite’s return.
• While members are expected to maintain their daily expenses within the DA limits, they are allowed to exceed their daily limits, and will be reimbursed for the same, provided the overall expense is within the total allowance for the whole duration of travel.

Calculation of Daily Allowance

• One day is equal to 24 hrs
• For periods below 12 hrs, Amplites will be eligible for 50% of their daily allowance.
• For periods beyond 12 hrs, Amplites will be eligible for 100% of their daily allowance.

International Roaming Plan

• Members shall request for a roaming plan on official SIM connections for the visiting country. The admin team will activate the roaming facility based on the plans provided by the service provider in accordance the duration of the travel

Insurance

• Members will be covered under a standard travel policy of 500K$.
• Insurance coverage details will be shared by the Travel Desk executive separately along with the tickets. Members are advised to go through the insurance details to understand coverage details.

***** Any exceptions to the travel policy will need approval from the respective HOD and CHRO.

The details of the daily allowance, hotel accommodation, local conveyance and travel insurance for international travel as per grade and country are in the annexure.

Medical Coverage During Business Travel – Policy Guidelines

1. Applicability

This guidelines applies to all Amplities who undertake domestic or international business travel.

2. Coverage Scope

Amplites shall be eligible for reimbursement of medical expenses incurred during travel due to:

• Sudden illness (e.g., food poisoning, respiratory infections).
• Environmental or weather-related health issues (e.g., cold, cough, fever).
• Travel-related discomfort (e.g., high/low BP, motion sickness, altitude sickness).
• Allergic reactions and minor injuries sustained during business activities.

3. Type of Expenses Covered

The following expenses are eligible for reimbursement under the travel policy:

• Outpatient Department (OPD) charges
• Doctor consultations
• Prescribed medicines
• Diagnostic tests (if medically advised)

4. Conditions for Reimbursement 

• The aliment or injury must have occurred during official travel.
• Claims must be supported by valid medical bills, prescription, and consultation reports.
• Treatment should be taken from a recognized or registered medical practitioner.
• Claims should be submitted within 15 working days of return from travel.
• Medical expenses incurred in the base location after completion of official travel are not eligible for reimbursement.

5.Exclusions

The following will not be covered:

• Pre-existing health conditions unless it is aggravated due to travel.
• Cosmetic treatments
• Non-prescribed OTC (over-the counter) medication without consultation proof.

6. Approval & Processing

• All claims will be reviewed and approved by the Reporting Manager
• The finance team will process the claim post validation of all the documents.

**Any reimbursement request that falls outside the standard scope of this policy, including claims exceeding prescribed limits or those involving a typical treatment shall require prior written approval from both the HOD and the CHRO.