A growing disconnect between policy clarity and employee behaviour is reshaping corporate travel management across Asia Pacific, with new data showing widespread rule-bending alongside rising reluctance to claim legitimate expenses.
According to SAP Concur’s latest Global Business Travel Survey, 60% of business travellers in the region admit to bending their company’s travel and expense (T&E) policies at least once — significantly above the 50% global average. The findings point to a complex mix of flexible policy frameworks, cultural norms and trust deficits influencing employee conduct.
Flexible policies, blurred boundaries
The research highlights how loosely defined policies can create room for interpretation. One in five travellers (20%) said they have used corporate discounts for personal trips, while 19% admitted extending business travel without informing managers or using leave. A further 17% acknowledged using company funds for personal expenses.
Grey areas also extend to travel companions. Around 17% of respondents said they had paid for others using company funds, and 14% reported bringing non-employees on business trips.
Generational differences are pronounced. Globally, more than half of Millennials and Gen Z workers (55%) admit to bending rules, compared with just 32% of Baby Boomers. Seniority also plays a role, with 54% of executives acknowledging policy breaches, slightly higher than non-executives.
Motivations range from convenience to compensation. Over half (54%) of APAC respondents attributed their behaviour to flexible policies, while 19% saw it as a way to offset perceived unfair pay. Weak enforcement mechanisms and normalised workplace practices further reinforce the trend.
Expense anxiety on the rise
At the same time, organisations face the opposite problem: under-reporting. More than a third (37%) of APAC employees said they had chosen not to submit legitimate expenses in the past year — well above the global average of 25%.
Perception plays a critical role. About 27% of employees avoided claims to prevent appearing more extravagant than colleagues, while 21% feared being labelled high spenders. Others cited budget concerns or anticipated rejection as reasons for withholding claims.
This dual behaviour — overstepping rules while simultaneously self-censoring — signals a deeper issue around trust and transparency in corporate systems.
Call for clearer frameworks
“As business travel continues to rebound across APAC, organisations are managing a more complex trust equation,” said Chon Raman, head of SAP Concur, APAC. “Policies need to work across different markets, travel norms and cost environments, but vague guardrails can leave too much room for interpretation.”
She added that companies must embed clearer, more transparent guidelines into T&E workflows to reduce ambiguity and improve compliance.
“Organisations in APAC need to clarify their policies and embed transparent guardrails directly into T&E workflows, so employees understand what is covered before they spend and managers can approve claims more consistently across markets,” Raman said.
