Unexpected delays

No matter how robust your travel programme, you will never be able to control the weather, reduce airport traffic or calm political or social unrest and as such will never be able to eradicate the

delays that these can cause to the transportation of FIFO travellers. However, it’s not the delays that impact your organisation’s efficiency – it’s the response. The inability to react to travel delays in a timely and flexible way is what leads to lost time and lost productivity.

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Having 24/7 global support will take away the pressure of trying to amend itineraries every time there is a change to scheduling or personnel – something that is essential when looking to mitigate against unexpected travel delays, whether that comes in the form of an online booking tool that will search for new travel options or simply a support team who will take over to find an alternative journey.

Technology can also help your organisation to fulfil its duty of care obligations in the event of a travel delay. Traveller tracking tools will allow you to monitor your FIFO travellers and provide support in an emergency situation – ideally this will be via an online platform. This will help to increase efficiencies and provide ultimate control, as well as decreasing dissatisfaction from your employees.

Travel documents

FIFO travellers being in possession of the correct travel documents and visas might sound like an obvious part of managing travel, but the reality of contending with different nationalities and varying entry requirements is anything but straightforward.

Without extensive experience and knowledge of the necessary documents required for each crew member, dependent on where they reside, where they have travelled from and where they are travelling to, managing a routine travel operation can quickly become a full time job.

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Using a travel profile system can simplify the process of managing travel documents for FIFO travellers, particularly if the system can integrate with your organisation’s current HR processes. This technology should store all travel details and current visas – alerting managers when travel documents are due to expire and ensuring that there are no delays due to incorrect paperwork. Using travel profile systems can also reduce the risk of delays caused by human error.

To encourage your FIFO travellers to take control and be more organised, you could give them access to a mobile travel app which is simple to access, easy to use and acts as the ultimate travel companion. This app should store everything that your crew and personnel need when travelling for work, as well as holding information regarding their passport, visa details or loyalty card numbers. Having this technology will reduce the time it takes for personnel to update their travel and visa information.

Cumbersome processes

Complex travel booking processes that act as a game of ping-pong between airline or hotel and travel booker can be a real drain on time. A further layer of complication is added when it’s time to get proposed travel itineraries approved to ensure that they are within budget. One of two things happens as the processes that surround arranging travel for crew members become more laborious; either those booking travel stick to them, wasting time that could be spent elsewhere, or they bypass them and compromise reporting and duty of care fulfilment by doing so.

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The unpredictable nature of travel to mine sites rarely allows for the use of traditional ‘corporate’ travel booking tools. It’s worthwhile searching for a system that has been specifically designed for mining organisations. Tools built for the industry should have the ability to manage travel while integrating with payroll, HR, finance and logistics, as well as the ability to request travel via your TMC, as this will increase both accuracy and efficiency.