How To Politely Decline A Business Trip

There are a lot of ways to decline a trip offered by your company.

The best way to decline a business trip is by using issues or challenges you might have in your life as an obstacle to participating in the trip. Such issues include family obligations, health conditions, community services, or religious reasons.

However, before you decide to use any of the methods below, you should also consider the consequences that come with declining an offer to go for a business trip provided by your company.

Family Members

One of the best ways that you can utilize to decline a business trip offered by your company is by using your family as an excuse.

If you have kids that are under 7 years old then you may use them as your excuse to avoid being involved in the business trip. You may say something like:

“I’m sorry but my (husband or wife) is busy at work so there’s no one at home that is going to take care of my kids later on that evening.”

In most cases, you will be exempted from participating in the business trip but there are some cases where you need to use a more concrete reason.

You may begin by saying:

“That business trip is sure going to be a lot of fun but I’m sorry as I would not be able to join the trip because I need to take care of my elderly parent back at home.”

Health Conditions

Apart from that, the next best excuse is to use your health conditions. If you have any kinds of serious health conditions and at the same time you can provide some kind of textual evidence from certified sources such as your doctors to prove your claim then use it.

This is because health condition is one of the most effective and concrete excuses to avoid getting stuck on a business trip that makes your life miserable.

In most cases, if you have a valid medical transcript from a public hospital or a certified medical institution, then you would most likely be exempted from any business trip to prevent you from infecting others.

Financial Issues

Next, aside from using your family members or your health conditions as an excuse to avoid joining the business trip, you may also choose to use your financial problems as an excuse to escape from this situation.

For example, you may say to your employer that you need to do extra work by doing some freelance jobs back at home to support your kids and parents.

Community Obligations

Keep in mind that it’s essential for you to always calm down no matter what happens so that you would not look like you are too desperate to escape from the situation.

Once you have successfully mastered the art of tranquility by calming yourself down then you may proceed to practice these phrases by yourself at home in front of a mirror to evaluate your facial expression.

To make use of community obligations you may say:

“I’m sorry but I can’t join the business trip as I have to take care of my neighbor’s child that has serious health conditions.”

You may use this phrase if you have a friendly neighbor at home that has a child with special needs back at home. This is one of the best ways to overcome this problem and you may also state that your neighbor depends on you to take care of their child and you have already been paid to do so so there’s no way you can join the trip as you already have a responsibility to take care of.

Or you can claim that you are planning to participate in the feed the homeless people program held by some non-profit organization in your local area.

Religion and the Date of the Trip

Besides that, you might also want to take a closer look at the exact date and time on which the business trip is held. For example, if you’re Christian and it’s being held on Sunday, then you may state that you can’t participate in the business trip as you must attend church.

If you’re Muslim and it’s being held on Friday then you may say that you have to attend the Friday prayer and you plan to spend the rest of the day focusing on reciting the divine books.

Usually, they would try to persuade you to join the business trip however if you already know the consequences and are firm with your decision then you may reject the invitation politely.

Do not use any kind of profanity or cause anything that could trigger anger at your employer and always act like you have nothing to hide. This is the main reason why you need to practice your speech in front of a mirror so that you will be able to control other people’s perceptions of you as one of the vital elements that play an important role when convincing other people to believe in whatever it is that you have to say is your facial expression and body language.

Appointment on the same Date

Next, you may also say that you have a mental health appointment with your doctor on that day and therefore cannot participate in the business trip.

One way to do this is by purposely booking an appointment with your mental counselor in a private mental specialist for a counseling session so that you will be able to get your way out of this business trip. Most of the time, when it comes to your health, especially your mental conditions, your employer will most likely make an exception for you.

If they asked why you book the appointment on that specific date, you could calmly reply by saying that it’s not you that set up the appointment as it has been automatically set up for you by your mental specialist and there’s nothing you can do about that (which most mental specialist does when they have patients calling them for help).

Value Life not Work

Most of the time, these business trips are meant to make the bonds between you, your coworkers, and your employer to be stronger but there are some cases where you should reject the invitation to go for a business trip (if it’s not compulsory).

In a case where you have things that matters more to you than your job, then it’s highly recommended for you to prioritize the things that you value the most. Such things could be your family members, your health, or your passion. Most people would choose to work an extra amount of time to chase after the things that they love the most.

For example, if you have just started an online business and business trips get in the way for you to focus on your online business then you should always focus on the things that you love the most. If you are dealing with these types of situations then by all means you may decline the offer.

Also, if the business trip turns part of your weekend into working time, you have the right to refuse this.

Your Capabilities

Apart from that, there are also other instances whereby you know that your working performance in the future will be affected negatively if you choose to participate in these business trips.

Some people just have no energy to add an extra commitment to their life and if you know that you wouldn’t be able to focus on your work if you participate in a business trip then explain it to your employer clearly so that you would be able to notify him or her about your problem.

Indirect Costs

If the sponsors of the business trip only cover the transport and the place for you to stay throughout the whole trip and you will need to spend your own money on the food then it’s best not to join the business trip. You may say that you just don’t have enough money to spend on the trip as you have a lot of other commitments that you need to take care of such as supporting your child to go to college, paying back your car loan, or you may even say that you can’t spend the money that you have right now because you are putting it in your savings account for private reasons.