How to Build a Bleisure Program Employees Actually Want

The concept of "bleisure" travel—blending business trips with personal vacation time—has exploded in popularity. It's no longer a niche perk but a mainstream expectation, especially for younger generations of workers who value experiences and work-life integration. For companies, offering a bleisure program is a smart and cost-effective way to boost employee morale, combat burnout, and gain a competitive edge in the war for talent.

However, simply allowing bleisure travel is not enough. To create a program that employees actually want to use and that delivers real value, you need to design it with their experience in mind. A program bogged down by confusing rules, manual processes, and financial uncertainty for the employee will not be perceived as a benefit. A successful bleisure program is built on a foundation of clarity, flexibility, and trust.

This guide provides a step-by-step framework for how to build a bleisure program that your employees will love, turning a good idea into a great and highly valued company perk.

Step 1: Start with a Philosophy of Trust and Empowerment

The most successful bleisure programs begin with a mindset shift from leadership. You must move from a philosophy of "How do we control this?" to "How do we enable this responsibly?" Your program should be built on the assumption that your employees are responsible adults who can be trusted to make good decisions. A program designed from a place of mistrust will always feel punitive and will fail to deliver the intended morale boost.

Frame the program as a reflection of your company's commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance. When you communicate the program, the message should be, "We trust you, and we want to help you make the most of your travels."

Step 2: Create a Crystal-Clear and Simple Policy

While the philosophy is trust, the foundation is clarity. A great bleisure policy framework is one that is simple, easy to understand, and leaves no room for ambiguity. An employee should know exactly what is and is not covered before they even start planning their trip.

Your policy must clearly define:

The Business vs. Leisure Portions: Be explicit about how "business days" and "personal days" are defined.
The Airfare Rule (The "Cost Comparison"): The company pays for a "business-only" equivalent flight. The employee pays any extra cost for their preferred dates. This must be calculated and shown transparently at the time of booking.
The Accommodation Rule: The company pays for the hotel on business nights only. The employee pays for their personal nights.
The Expense Rule: Per diems and meal reimbursements apply only on business days.
The Duty of Care Line: The company's legal and risk management responsibility applies only during the business portion of the trip.

The policy should be written in plain language, not legal jargon, and should be easily accessible to all employees.

Step 3: Implement Technology That Makes it Effortless

A great policy is useless if the process for using it is a manual nightmare. The single most important factor in creating a program employees want is to make the process of booking a blended trip seamless and easy. This requires a modern travel management platform.

Automated Cost Comparison: The platform should automatically perform the airfare cost comparison during the booking process. It should clearly show the employee, "The business-only flight would have cost $500. Your requested flight costs $580. You will be responsible for the $80 difference." This transparency is critical for building trust. Routespring provides this functionality, making the process clear and straightforward.
Split Billing Capabilities: The platform should be able to handle a split payment for a hotel stay, billing the business nights to the company's central payment method and allowing the employee to pay for their personal nights with their own card.
A "Consumer-Grade" User Experience: The booking tool should be as intuitive and easy to use as any public travel site. A clunky, confusing tool is a major deterrent.

Step 4: Offer Flexibility and Choice

A program that feels restrictive is not a perk. While the policy provides the "guardrails," the program should offer as much flexibility as possible within them.

Freedom to Choose: Allow employees to choose their own flights and hotels from a wide range of in-policy options. Don't force them into a single "preferred" hotel if other good, compliant options are available.
Reasonable Timeframes: Be flexible about the number of personal days an employee can add to a trip. As long as the primary purpose of the trip is business, allowing an employee to add three or four personal days is a reasonable and high-value perk.
Location Independence: Don't limit the bleisure option to just the destination city. An employee on a business trip to San Francisco might want to spend their personal days exploring nearby Napa Valley. Your policy should accommodate this, as long as the cost comparison for the flight is based on the original business destination.

Step 5: Communicate the Program as a Strategic Benefit

How you talk about your bleisure program matters.

Highlight it in Recruiting: A strong bleisure program is a powerful recruiting tool. Make sure your talent acquisition team highlights it when talking to candidates.
Share Success Stories: In company newsletters or all-hands meetings, share positive stories of employees who have taken advantage of the program. This shows that it's a real, valued part of the company culture, not just a line in a policy document.
Train Managers: Ensure that managers understand the policy and are empowered to approve bleisure requests confidently. They should be encouraged to see it as a tool for improving their team's morale and well-being.

By designing a bleisure program that is built on trust, clarity, flexibility, and a seamless user experience, you can create a truly valuable benefit that employees will love. It's a strategic investment that pays huge dividends in the form of a happier, more engaged, and more loyal workforce.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Does allowing bleisure travel increase our company's travel costs? When managed with a proper policy and the right technology, no. The "cost comparison" rule for airfare ensures that the company never pays more for a flight than it would have for a business-only trip. The primary ROI of a bleisure program is not in direct cost savings, but in the "soft" benefits of improved employee morale, retention, and well-being.

2. How do we handle a situation where the business part of a bleisure trip gets canceled? This should be addressed in your policy. A fair approach is that if the business portion is canceled by the company, the company is responsible for any flight change or cancellation fees. The employee would then have the option to either cancel their personal trip or proceed with it, covering all costs themselves.

3. Are there any tax implications for the employee or the company? In most jurisdictions, as long as the primary purpose of the trip is business and the expense policy clearly separates business and personal costs, there are generally no major tax implications. However, it's always best practice to consult with a tax professional to ensure your policy is compliant with your local tax laws.

4. Can an employee use company loyalty points or status for the leisure portion of their trip? This is a great question for your policy to address. A flexible, employee-friendly approach would be to allow it. If an employee's frequent flyer status with an airline gets them a free checked bag on their personal return leg, or if their hotel loyalty points get them a room upgrade, this is a benefit to the employee at no cost to the company.

5. Why is a travel management platform so important for a bleisure program? A manual bleisure process is an administrative nightmare. A platform like Routespring is critical because it automates the most complex parts: the airfare cost comparison, the split billing for hotels, and the approval workflow that provides managers with all the information they need. It makes the entire process transparent, scalable, and easy for everyone involved.