Should employees be allowed to keep points earned on staff travel?

I don’t particularly mind where FF points are going as long as someone gets to keep em! Commonwealth employees don’t get FF points and neither do their employers!!

Short answer yes. As a weekly traveler, i use my points from hotels and flights on my family holiday or long weekends away. This compensates for all the time I spend away.

Yes I don't see why not

It’s an interesting assumption that companies won’t gain much.

Agreed, its a business expense for the travel and most businesses would either be charging a customer for travel or beneifiting from training/networking etc from sending the employee in the first place (hopefully) - so let the employee keep the points just like you let them keep the shampoo in the hotel room.

Employees should definitely be able to keep the miles, it’s a great reward for the sacrifice made.

My company allows us to keep our points which I believe is a sensible policy. Most of the flying done by my colleagues and I is outside of core business hours i.e. we are flying in our own time, not in the company's time. For this reason alone it is only fair to allow us to collect the points easrned in the process.

I wonder if chasing status sometimes means an employee might not act in their company's best interests over the timing of buying a ticket.

All FIFO workers get to keep their points. I've 'earned' 120,000 in the last 12 months. It's a reward for spending 2/3 of the year away from the kids...

yes they should

Harder to enforce BFOD if an employee has something to gain from flying a specific (and probably more expensive) airline.

Its easy, as an employer, we have enrolled in Airline business reward schemes and then everyone is rewarded.

no they shouldnt be allowed to keep the points nor the socks they wore on the flight

Points are tantamount to a fiat currency created by the airlines. The airlines are the ones that own them, not an employer or an employee, and can change the terms when they wish.

Yes, what should be more important for a company, of any size is - what does the employee do when they get to the destination, do they do their job well, effective and arrive to the destination/home safely. If companies want people to travel for work then keep the points, especially if they do their job well

Of course, where else would the points go? Some corporate basket? Employees flying often have to get up more early and get home later than if they were going to the office from home. The idea that staying in a hotel in another city is glamorous is very outdated.

How is the company supposed to claim your points? The T&C only allow transfer to family members.

My company allows me to keep all of my points and SC when traveling and has always done so. I don't see how doing any differently is fair, it's the smallest reward to give the employee for the sacrifice of being away. No business I know of, if you're on a business trip for 5 days pays you for the 100 odd hours of work you spent away from home, nor compensate you for being away from family/friends/activities, so it's only fair.

My guess is that the implicit agreement that staff keep the points is why there is enough goodwill that (in most instances) staff aren't charging their travel hours back to the company. If companies started doing this, my guess is those taking the 6am flight to SYD-MEL and the 6pm flight back would be charging their work hours as a 12hr day instead of the 9-5. It's much cheaper to let someone choose airline and keep points than it is to pay an hourly wage for time spent in the air.

Interesting comments with respect to the travel hours -

I would have thought in today's world, for the vast majority of people who are travelling regularly/frequently (and even those with less travel) for work, their overall remuneration package would be taking into consideration the travel requirements - and to extent if it isn't given consideration in the total package, then why work there?!

I once saw an initiative commence in a company to move from employees keeping the points, to them being retained by the company. The reaction from a significant number of (salaried EA) staff was then to say don't ask me to fly in my time - I'll fly in yours. It didn't go ahead.

I think definatley yes (except if you are a public servant travelling on the taxpayers dime). Small things like this help boost employee morale beyond their worth.

I totally agree with the sentiments expressed in the article. I get to keep points and SCs. Every time I travel I get home at 1 am at the end of a trip travelling economy (company policy whatever the distance or duration). You can only push the total remuneration concept so far. I regard it as compensation for time away. No credit given for travelling out of office hours. On the other had the company would give me lounge access to one airline of my choice, if I didn't have it because of SCs. That's another pont to consider, my company hasn't paid for lounge access for may years and won't ever if travelling Qantas, as I have LTG.

The only flaw to this argument is that if the frequent flyer points are seen as compensation, then it maybe considered taxable income. I think we should allow each company to decide.

Seems a little hypocritical that we are happy for public servants not to accrue FF points but we won't be giving up ours. Given that many FF are on a salary it is expected you do your work until the work is done, not until the clock strikes 5pm. If you don't like the travel or the hours find another job. I have never taken on a role because one of the perks was frequent flyer points. In fact I have taken on roles that include travel so I don't have to sit behind a desk in an office all day. How many business people look down on fare paying FF passengers in airport lounges/clubs even though the business travellers haven't paid for their ticket, then use their employer paid for FF points for personal/holiday travel. Maybe employers should negotiate a better contract price in return for not accruing FF points. Take the FF points, just not mine!

Wayne Swan and Lindsay Tanner removed the rights of Commonwealth employees (particularly parliamentarians' staff) to keep their frequent flyer points in around 2010. The justification was that it resulted in a saving to the Commonwealth as part of the renegotiation of the Commonwealth's travel contract.

I was advised by someone very close to that negotiation, however, that it was actually an attempt to *appear* as though the Government was tightening its belt, whereas the airlines themselves put next to no value on the frequent flyer points (presumably because they valued them as a loyalty building measure) and, in practice, this change had zero impact on the dollar value of the new travel agreement.

Now I know that few people are going to shed tears for Commonwealth employees, particularly parliamentarians' staff. But I can assure you that the amount of travel they do is punishing and, as your piece suggests, was seen as one very small compensation for the very many weeks spent away from partners and children. The removal of that - especially for no genuine benefit - rankled a lot of people.

For me the simple answer is yes.

Point’s earnt are minimal in comparison to what a happy employee contributes to the ongoing success of a business. Sure there is always a chance of the odd employee doing the wrong thing by the company; however in general, I’d suggest that the right thing is done.

I often use the points to upgrade my ticket so when I do arrive at my international location I’m in better shape than if I’d been squashed down the back of the bus.

I’m calling BS on this article. What company’s take their employees points and use them for travel?

If it lowers the costs of the company's operation, the company should keep all. In the end, staff will get a bonus and travel is written into their PD (position description).

I haven't read all comments so don't know how often this may also have been mentioned - but it's easier for the private sector to allow it - and they should.

But the public sector is a problem because officials are travllin at taxpayer expense and so the Commonwealth (and some state/Territories) have finally solved the issue by negotiating lower pricesin return for no FF points being credited.

A overlooked issue is the impact on travel policy and therefore spend - employees will manipulate their airfare/route search in order to ensure their preferred carrier presents as the "best fare of day" or "lowest logical fare" so that they can fly them and earn points.

Qantas staff on duty travel do not get Points and status credits. They are not even allow to the lounge except they are invited by a paid fare customer. What are we talking about? Fair ? You make your decision - the answer is not that difficult!!!

Topically this very suggestion was aired by my company's travel people as part of a 'review' about 2 weeks back. There was an almighty uproar (this is a MNC, not based in AU) amongst the several hundred regular travellers and the suggestion seems to have been quietly retreated from as a result.

I run my own company and allow my team to keep all points they may accrue. In fact I promote they open up a QF or VA account if they do not. I travel every week also and use the points I earn for personal holidays etc. I think its only fair. But that's my opinion and each business owner may be different

It’s a bit of give and take:

WRT to government travel the basic reasoning for not being allowed to keep points is probity of the public spend but there are a range of rules between the different states and the Commonwealth. For example the public sector commission in NSW says it is ok for public servants to collect frequent flyer/status points. This was a change from a straight 'no collection of any points' however the new ruling is up to the discretion of each departmental secretary and retained points are to be used for government travel. Qld allows collection of points, but the Commonwealth allows status points only, and universities are there own rule makers.