A business trip is a rather complex event, the organization of which always involves different employees, it requires the correct execution of documents and is regulated by various norms and rules. It is not at all difficult to make a mistake in such conditions. Today we will talk about the most popular of them.
Mistake #1: sending people on a trip who should not be sent
Not all managers know, but according to the current rules, not every employee can be sent on a business trip. There are a number of employees who cannot be sent on business trips. In our blog we have already studied this list, let’s briefly go through it again. So, you can’t go on a trip:
- pregnant st. 259 Labor Code of the Russian Federation
- employees working under a student agreement (if the trip is not related to the purposes of study) part 3 of Art. 203 Labor Code of the Russian Federation
- minors (exception: professional athletes and creative personnel, the list of these professions can be checked in Article 268 and Article 348.8 Labor Code of the Russian Federation)
- workers who registered as candidates for an elected body during the election period (Part 2 of Article 41 of Federal Law No. 67 “On Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights”)
- disabled people, if this contradicts medical recommendations (Article 23 of Federal Law No. 188 “On Social Protection of Disabled Persons”).
Mistake #2: not agreeing to a business trip
There are also categories of employees for whom there are restrictions on business trips. Among them are mothers of children under three years old, single parents of children under 5 years old, people caring for sick relatives or disabled children. Such workers can be sent on a business trip only with their written consent.
If an employer fails to notify employees of their right to refuse travel, this is a serious violation. If the labor inspector discovers it, the company will receive a fine.
Error #3: lack of travel order
Another common mistake is the lack of an order to go on a business trip. Since 2013, companies have been allowed not to use unified forms of such an order – each employer can approve and use their own forms. But this does not mean that there may not be an order in principle.
Every business trip must be properly documented, and the first step is to have an order. Often, for simplicity, companies use standardized T-9 forms. We have attached a sample of such a form to this article.
Error #4: incomplete time sheet
A business trip is a period during which an employee performs work assignments. This means you need to fill out a time sheet. In particular, it is necessary to correctly enter the codes for working on weekends (K/RV) – this need often arises on business trips.
Error #5: demanding to perform duties not specified in the employment contract
Perhaps one of the most common mistakes is that on a business trip there is a great temptation to ask an employee to do some work because “it is necessary” or “there is no one else.” In fact, the employee must fulfill the duties that are specified in his employment contract.
Therefore, forcing employees to perform tasks that are not included in the list of duties from the employment contract is a violation.
Conclusion
We have listed five common mistakes that employers often make when preparing and processing business trips. All of them can lead to problems in the form of fines from the labor inspectorate or claims from the tax office. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the preparation of business trips and strictly follow current rules and regulations.
