Who Covers Travel Costs for Management Trainees? Seeking Advice on Industry Practices

Hi all, Need guidance; we are hiring Management Trainees for the first time. MT is offered and is based out of Pune. The trainee is supposed to be based out of Mumbai post-training. However, prior to this, her joining and training for 3 weeks will happen in Bangalore. So, will the employer arrange the travel cost, or does the candidate have to arrange this travel? What is the industry practice currently?

Warm Regards, Pooja Singh

Dear Pooja Singh,

Whether a Management Trainee (MT) or an employee, if he/she is required to undergo induction training at a location different from the duty location, it is the company's responsibility to make arrangements for travel, accommodation, and local conveyance at the distant station.

Please note that although called an MT, once the person joins your organization, he/she ceases to be the "candidate." Therefore, please treat him/her at par with a regular employee.

While writing the above, let me assume the term MT has been used in the proper context. Otherwise, if the student joins an organization to gain practical work experience while undergoing an academic course, the student is called an "Industrial Trainee" (IT). The ITs are given some industrial allowance; however, the work facilities are at par with the regular employees.

To promote the brand image of the company, a few companies offer the best perks to the MTs or even to the ITs. This helps in attracting the best talent.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Pooja, Treat her as a regular employee, and it is your responsibility to make arrangements accordingly as per company policy. If you don't have any policy, then you can prepare and implement a policy under employees' welfare.

Your question and details are somewhat confusing. In simple terms, what I understand is that the employee will be taken as a Management Trainee (MT). He/She will be reporting in Bangalore, and after 3 weeks of being in Bangalore, he/she will be sent for Management Training near Pune (you simply mention out of Pune). After successful training, you will be posted out of Bombay at our plant/office/unit as a Management Trainee for a period of ... months.

Here, the specific period is right from the date the person reports in Bangalore will be counted, or after they are sent for training, their start date will be counted as an MT. The person is joining you in Bangalore first, and therefore, he is your employee, whatever position you assign him by designation. As the company is sending him for training, all expenses for travel, accommodation, and food are to your account. Also, if he is directly required to report outside Bombay, then the travel is your company's account.

In other words, if you are directly sending him to report to your training center, then you should reimburse his travel expenses from his house to the training center and return after the training. As the company expects its employees to learn their policy and work ethics through training, it is the company's expense to arrange everything. HR should look beyond the ground level when the company's prestige is represented by your employees.