Company sponsored travel and meetups

Sourcegraph is an all-remote company. This means we all need to make an effort to travel to meet up in person and spend quality time with other Teammates all around the world.

Travel budgets are for full time Teammates.

Travel planning guidelines

  • Travel is usually disruptive, even when it’s productive. When planning a trip, consider the impact on your team and clients, and choose dates and times that make sense and don’t have an unreasonable impact on your work or your Teammates. If you’re not sure, consult your Manager.
  • Make sure to cancel bookings when trips are cancelled. Your bookings are your responsibility. Managers, Finance, People Ops, or Navan do not cancel these bookings. Any bookings that were not cancelled will be the monetary responsibility of the teammate.
  • Our high agency value works because we all make responsible decisions in the best interests of the whole team and the business — please treat company money how you would treat your own.
  • Tracking the fiscal year spend is the responsibility of each individual Teammate. Be aware of how much you have spent against your budget, you will not be notified once your budget has been reached. Accounting is happy to confirm totals.
  • When planning a trip with another Teammate(s), actively gauge the level of comfort of others for both the activities you’ll be engaging in, and how you plan on meeting up. Be inclusive of different interests in the group.
  • For team travel, not everyone on your team may be able to join your meetup. If you will be discussing work related things that involve members of the team who are not physically present, you must find a way to include them remotely. Accessibility to conversations is important, and all Teammates must feel included, whether or not they are joining in person.
  • All meetups are to remain completely optional for all attendees.
    • Due to the current circumstances of COVID-19, everyone is experiencing comfort on differing levels. It is important to honor boundaries around comfort during this time. For more information on adhering to proper COVID-19 protocols during your trip planning, please review the Sherpa feature in Navan.
  • Use your best judgement and defer to local jurisdictions in determining the number of attendees and restrictions you may need to abide by.
  • When planning or attending any type of meetup, remember that you are representing the Sourcegraph team. In alignment with our company values, we encourage a lens of inclusion in creating an equitable meetup for all Teammates.
  • Assume people don’t want to shake hands, hug, high-five etc.
  • Follow local laws, customs, and safety regulations during every step of the meetup process.
  • The Company will reimburse testing for COVID-19 when traveling for Company events. The typical reimbursed test is approximately $25 per person per trip.

Travel budget philosophy

We are a high agency team. Be economical in choosing your accommodation, modes of transportation, and where you’ll be dining. We understand that there may be limits, and we urge you to find options that are both convenient for you while being reasonable regarding reimbursements for the company.

For example: If you are attending a conference and see that a cheaper hotel is a half hour away from your conference venue, but you will need to pay for the taxi to the venue which would ultimately make your cost the same, book a more convenient option!

Travel budgets are not transferable between types and are based on our fiscal calendar year. That means unused budget doesn’t roll over into the next year, but they will renew on February 1st each year.

Unsure how much budget you have left? Click here!

Our company-wide travel perks for include:

  • Company-wide trips twice a year (intended for you to build relationships with teammates in the wider company)
  • Team travel (intended for you to connect with the team to which you belong)
  • Business/customer travel (intended for business-related events or customer meetings)
  • Professional development/ educational travel (intended for you to incorporate travel into a development opportunity if necessary)

1. Company-wide travel

This travel budget is intended for Teammates to attend company-wide meetups, arranged by the Company. Each Teammate’s flights, lodging, food, and transportation will be fully paid for to the chosen location(s) of our Company meet-ups each year. In , we will have two trips:

  • 1H trip (February)
  • 2H trip (August / September, date TBD & in planning stage)

2. Team travel

Each Exec is allocated $1,850 USD per year per Teammate for their department, so you can connect and build relationships with the members of your own team. Managers must work with their Exec to plan trips and ensure they have budget. Considering the intention, this applies when a minimum two members of the team get together. Tracking the fiscal year spend is the responsibility of each individual Teammate. Accounting will provide actuals at the cost center level and not per person.

The best team trips are the ones with 50% bonding, and 50% work/collaboration time factored in. In planning your Team travel, feel free to reference a sample agenda below:

  • 9am–12pm: Breakfast + Team collaboration time
  • 12pm–1pm: Team lunch
  • 1–4pm: Team bonding activities
  • 5–6pm: Solo time
  • 6–8pm: Team dinner

Factor in as much time to spend together during the trip and leave room for solo-exploring/recharging separate from the group.

  • This is designed to allow each team to hold at least one event every six months (in addition to the company-wide events above).
  • This budget can be used for travel (airfare, trains, etc.), lodging (hotels, rental homes, etc.), events, meals and entertainment.
  • Teams are expected to use discretion about what events are appropriate for team outings. Be inclusive of all of the groups interests.
  • The budget can be used for online team bonding events if the team prefers. See our Remote-friendly team bonding document for ideas.
  • Visit the sample team offsites handbook page to view offsite itineraries used by other teams in the past.

Engineering team travel

Individuals in the engineering org are responsible for working with their direct Managers to determine how they will use their team travel budget. It is up to the individual and their Manager to decide if they would like to join their product planning team trip or their original team trip.

3. Business/customer travel

For Teammates with business-related travel requirements aligned with Company goals, trips will be fully paid pending manager/exec approval in addition to above budgets. Please note you cannot combine the teammate in-person gathering budget with 4 trips. We would include the following types of meetups in this category:

  • Customer Champion meetups
  • Leadership to Executive level meetups (no approval required)
  • Marketing conferences
  • Conference speaking engagement conferences

4. Professional development stipend and educational travel

Each Teammate has $1,000 per fiscal year to spend on professional development opportunities that will enhance the knowledge, human skills, and thinking required to fulfill the purpose of your role and advance your career at Sourcegraph. Tracking the fiscal year spend is the responsibility of each individual Teammate. Be aware of how much you have spent against your budget, you will not be notified once your budget has been reached. Accounting is happy to confirm totals.

This professional development budget includes:

  • Reading materials: Books, magazines, and subscriptions (digital or printed)

  • Role specific: License fees / continuing education specific to your role

  • Educational experiences: Courses, workshops, and/or exhibitions, both digital or in-person (including transportation). Extended educational degrees, university classes, and certifications

  • Conferences: Attending conferences relevant to your role (including the attendance and travel fees associated with them)

  • Leadership/professional coaching: obtaining certified professional coaching outside of our organization or continuing to work with your Modern Health coach beyond our given 10 annual coaching credits

Best practice tip: Request budget approval from your manager before booking any professional development opportunities.

If any of the above meet the guidelines for usage and fall within your $1,000 allowance, you do not need approval from Finance + People Ops. If you have your eye on something that exceeds the allowance but is important to your role and/or team, please first raise the request with your manager and your manager can reach out to People Ops and Finance for approval PRIOR to booking.

Obtaining Manager approval:

This section will inform you how to obtain manager approval and get sign-off for your professional development opportunity.

Information needed:

The applicant is responsible for collecting the information below (where applicable), and each cost must be estimated in USD:

  • Event name and link to the website:
  • Event Location (city, country):
  • Duration of stay (days, nights):
  • Is quarantine required? If so, for how long:
  • Registration fee:
  • Airfare:
  • Ground transportation:
  • Hotel and lodging:
  • Meals:
  • Total cost:
  • Additional information (if applicable):

Approvals process:

  1. Applicant collects information as described above before any booking or reservation
  2. Applicant sends their manager the above information via email with the title [Approval for Professional Development Stipend on insert date]
  3. The manager works with the director to ensure that the budget is available
  4. The manager confirms with the applicant if the application is approved or not

For any anticipated spending over $1,000 USD, please follow the above steps and CC the people-ops@sourcegraph alias with a note included in the title as [Approval for Professional Development Stipend - Anticipated Spend over 1k].

Budget best practices and additional spending categories

Hotel accomodations:

We advise spending within reason for the location you are visiting, with a $300 USD per night maximum spend limit (including taxes, fees, and parking).

Modes of transportation:

  • Economy class is recommended for booking all travel. (If you need any higher tier of booking, reach out to Finance/People Ops for approval.)
  • Travelers must book flights at least 30 days in advance to avoid premium airfare pricing. (If you need to book a flight on short notice, reach out to Finance/People Ops for approval.)
  • Sourcegraph will pay for flight to and from locations. Any changes made to your itinerary to extend your trip and change your flight itinerary will be out of pocket expenses.
  • At this time, we do not reimburse airport traveler programs, such as TSA-Pre, Global Entry, or Clear.
  • Gas and parking would be considered reimbursable within the applicable budget (Category 2, 3, 5) travel.
  • When driving a personal vehicle to a company-sponsored event (Category 1, 4), the Company will reimburse based on current IRS standard mileage rate of $0.62 per mile for 2022. This reimbursement per mile incorporates not only the cost of the fuel, but also maintenance and wear and tear of the vehicle. Upon expense submission, please provide a calculation of miles driven to and from the event.
  • Ride-shares (Uber, Lyft, etc.) are encouraged whenever possible instead of renting a car.
    • If you’re in the US and would like to rent a car, we recommend checking with the following companies before booking your car rental elsewhere:

Dining expenses:

We ask you to use your best judgment when traveling and spending company money. Don’t go overboard with spending on food and drinks. Always ask for receipts for expenses over $25 USD and keep them organized.

  • All teammates will be able to spend a maximum of:
    • $80 per day for all 3 meals, alcoholic beverages included.
    • Any additional spending for food or drinks will come out of your own pocket.
  • Please note that this is money that is available to be reimbursed, and you will not roll over any unused money to the next day. We encourage you to use this set amount, as your daily per diem amount will reset the following day.
  • We will reimburse only your own portion of the bill if you’re traveling with a non-teammate, so make sure to separate your bills or ask for separate receipts.

Trip summary

Please see below for a complete summary of spend limit for each type of trip. The best practice is to plan your trip in accordance with the daily meals allotment and hotel policy, in order to efficiently use the spending budget allowed. Costs incurred will only be reimbursed to spending limits provided (or the applicable guidance), so it is up to the individual/team how to best allocate that spending allowance for their trips.

Trip CategoryTotal Spend Limit
Company-wideN/A
Team$1,850
Business/CustomerN/A
Education$1,000

Dependent care budget:

Sourcegraph will provide reimbursement for dependents-care costs while you are away on any Sourcegraph-related travel. You may request reimbursement up to $50 per day with a maximum amount requested of $250. This budget is per trip.

  • Business-related travel includes: includes individual, team, company-wide, and business/customer travel.
  • Dependents include: children, family members with hardships/disabilities, elderly, or pets who are fully dependent on you. If you have a dependent that does not fall within this list, please email people-ops@sourcegraph.com.

Approval to use this perk is required prior to any travel:

  • To get approval, please email People Ops (people-ops@sourcegraph.com) and finance (finance@sourcegraph.com). Please include # of days and expected total cost.
  • Once you have approval, you may request reimbursement through Airbase with a copy of the receipt and a copy of the prior approval obtained via email.

How to book your trip in Navan

Navan is our source of truth for booking travel. All teammate travel must be booked through this platform to be considered within your travel budgets. Please refer to our Navan guide which covers topics including: account setup, how to book a trip, bookings policy, etc.

For any additional questions, please reach out to Finance and the people Team at travel@sourcegraph.com. Also, you can post in #ask-finance via Slack.

Budget template

We have provided an easy-to-complete travel budget calculator for your next team trip. See our Travel Budget Example for ideas when submitting requests.

COVID-19 protocol for in-person company-sponsored travel

As a fully distributed and global company, we want all of our teammates to have the opportunity to build connections with their fellow teammates and as part of that, we offer generous travel benefits to be able to do so. Along with these benefits, we also expect teammates to exercise high-empathy and consider the obligation they have towards their own health and safety, as well as the health and safety of their teammates and local communities when traveling and meeting up in-person.

To help us all do our part to keep each other safe, please review and abide by the following health and safety protocols when attending any company-sponsored meet-ups:

General guidance for all in-person meet-ups

Number of attendees: As of March 8th, 2022, we have opened up meet ups to groups of any size.

  • What does this mean? The size of your meetup - and the restrictions you need to adhere to will be governed by the local guidelines of your location, but in respect to teammates who may not be comfortable or able to attend meetups in person, we ask that managers and teams gauge comfort levels within their teams prior to planning to ensure everyone is included (whether virtually or in-person) and feels safe attending. Travel budgets and guidelines as per our handbook continue to apply.

This category of guidance also includes casual, local meet-ups that are company-sponsored (e.g. dinners/lunches, happy hours, coworking etc.) We encourage each group to apply high agency and responsibility over their meet-up and activities, but we require the following protocols for any in-person meet-up:

  • If you’re feeling sick (or have been confirmed to have, or exposed to people who have COVID-19), stay home. We have a zero-tolerance policy for allowing teammates to attend company-sponsored events if they are sick, or feeling like they will be sick with any type of illness. Communicate with your group if you feel unwell before your meetup, and please decline the invite if this is the case. Your health, and the health of your teammates is our top priority.

  • All in-person meet-ups are, and will continue to be 100% optional. Every person has different circumstances in their homes and lives which may allow or not allow them to travel. Be respectful of all comfort levels.

  • Gauge your own personal comfort level when choosing to attend an in-person meet-up, whether a local meetup or a meetup involving travel. Don’t feel pressured; remember, these are optional events and there will be more.

  • Practice good respiratory hygiene. When coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue. Use hand sanitizer and wash your hands frequently.

  • Choose outdoor meet-ups and activities instead of indoor, if applicable. Minimize indoor events when possible.

  • Respect physical boundaries. Ask permission for touching/greeting types. It is safe to assume that when you see people you likely won’t engage in physical greetings such as a handshake or high five.

Guidance for meet-ups which require travel

All of the above guidelines still apply for team travel and meet-ups, but we will be taking additional precautions for meet-ups that require travel.

Note that these guidelines are not inclusive of all travel requirements that are specific to the locations you may be travelling to or the activities you may engage in as part of your meet-up. The Sherpa feature on Navan can be helpful in your planning stages.

In-person meet-ups which require travel

Number of attendees: As of March 8th, 2022, we have opened up meet ups to groups of any size.

Please respect your peers wishes, and lead with empathy when planning remote and hybrid meetups. Everyone should have equal and accessibility to any event that is planned. For trips that exceed the 10 teammates, please take the following protocols:

  • Assign a coordinator for your trip. This coordinator will need to gauge teammate comfort before planning begins. If no coordinator is formally assigned, the most senior person in the trip group will drive the process to gauge comfort levels across the team. We recommend creating a survey for your trip, and sending it to all teammates with a “Yes / No / Maybe” attendance question, surveying different locations, and explaining in the survey what safety precautions will be taken as a group. If you need help formulating one, ask the People Team in #ask-people-team in Slack.

  • Get tested (PCR or rapid test).

    • If you will be travelling and/or attending any type of meetup, as a safety precaution, please arrange a COVID-19 test prior to your travel within 72 hours of your travel date. (This applies even if you are fully vaccinated.)

    • Testing will be reimbursed before, during, and after your meetup. You may expense the cost of your COVID test for any travel you do on behalf of Sourcegraph. The average cost of a COVID test is around $35 USD.

  • Remember: there will to be future opportunities to travel. If your travel plans don’t work out, there will be more opportunities to meet teammates and teams alike. Our goal is to continue to plan different types of opportunities to travel and meet with teammates throughout the year.

Protocol for potential COVID-19 exposure

If you or anyone attending a company-sponsored event suspects a COVID-19 exposure (before, during, or after an event) please take the following precautions:

Before: If you contract COVID-19 before company-sponsored travel, in addition to self-isolating:

  • Please postpone or cancel your travel through Navan.
    • Your safety is our number one priority. There will be other opportunities to travel and meet up with teammates and we want to be mindful of the health and safety of other attending teammates as well as the communities we travel to.
    • Reach out to the People team in #ask-people-team and we will work with you to get your travel rescheduled/cancelled and identify future opportunities for connecting with teammates in person.
  • Get a COVID-19 test as soon as possible. You may expense testing for you and your immediate family.
  • Please cancel or postpone any upcoming travel or in-person events in the following 2 weeks to prevent spread.
  • Monitor your symptoms and quarantine based on current CDC guidelines.

During/After: If you contract COVID-19 while traveling on behalf of Sourcegraph or immediately afterwards:

  • You must notify People Ops (people-ops@sourcegraph.com) so that we can advise on next steps for notifying other potentially affected teammates. Please note that no personal names will be shared with teammates in regards to any communications around COVID-19 exposures.
    • Information to share:
      • Date symptoms began
      • Start and end date of company event and or company travel
      • List of company event attendees/potentially exposed teammates
      • If you are still onsite at your hotel and have tested positive before returning home, please let us know; we will reach out to you and book any extended stays for you through Navan.
  • If you need to take additional time off work to recover, first and foremost: we hope you feel better soon! Please submit your time off under ‘Wellbeing leave’ in Roots (though Slack); this will trigger a notification to your manager. We recommend talking through your time off plan with them in case you need a longer recovery time than expected.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the People Team in #ask-people-team in Slack. We hope that you stay healthy, and take care of yourselves! Thank you for your continued collaboration to ensure your safety and the safety of your teammates while traveling.

Local Meetups

This section refers to in-person gatherings with local teammates that do not require travel. As an all-remote company, we encourage teammates who have peers in their area to connect outside of company and team trips. Each teammate has $150 per person per quarter to spend on local gatherings of their choice. This budget can be split up into more than one event, but does not roll over to the next quarter.

This is separate from Sourcegraph’s travel budgets above and co-working budget. The people team and managers will not hold teammates accountable to using this budget quarterly. It is each teammate’s responsibility to use this budget if they desire.

We would love to see photos from your meetups in #sourcegram!

Recommended activities

This budget can be used for a wide array of activities including but not limited to:

  • Meeting up with local teammate(s) for dinner
  • Taking a train to meet up with teammate(s) in a neighboring city
  • Reserving a court to play squash or pickleball with local teammates
  • Coffee meetups
  • Purchasing tickets to a live event (comedy show, trivia night, sporting event, cooking class, etc.)

Who is responsible for planning virtual events?

Teammates are responsible for utilizing this local meetup budget quarterly.

Planning best practices

Leverage the Slack channel for your city to gather feedback from local teammates about when they’re available and what events people are interested in. You can browse existing city channels by searching “#location-” in the Slack channel directory. Add any local teammates who are not already in the channel, or create a new one if one doesn’t exist yet and you have teammates in your area.

Send a calendar invite to the appropriate teammates to block the meet up timeframe and provide event details such as location, time, parking info, etc. Link the meetup handbook guidance in the calendar invite.

If the event isn’t recurring, set up a monthly watercooler message in your city’s Slack channel. This message can serve as a reminder to plan a meetup, and it can ask local teammates to provide ideas for dates and activities in the thread.

Submitting receipts

Receipts are required and can be submitted for reimbursement in Airbase under the “Team Travel” category. Include in the note that this was a local meetup, and which teammate(s) you met with.

Please note that we will reimburse only your own portion of the bill if you include a non-teammate, so make sure to separate your bills or ask for separate receipts.

If you have questions about how to use this budget, please reach out in #ask-people-team.

Virtual Gatherings

This section refers to virtual events and gatherings with your direct team. As an all-remote company, we encourage teams to connect virtually outside of company and team trips. As such, each teammate has $150 per person per quarter to spend on virtual gatherings of the team’s choice. This budget can be split up into more than one event, but does not roll over to the next quarter. Our recommended virtual event cadence is 1 event per quarter.

Who is responsible for planning virtual events?

Have a designated team event planner. Managers are responsible for utilizing this virtual event budget quarterly. Managers can either plan activities themselves or ask for 1-2 team volunteers to be responsible for this. All virtual events must have manager approval prior to booking.

Planning best practices

Send a calendar hold to the appropriate teammates to block the meet up time frame. Add in the event details (location, time, etc.) when they’re ready. Link the meetup handbook guidance in the calendar invite.

If the event isn’t recurring, the manager and/or designated event planner should put a recurring reminder in their calendar to plan something. Other teammates are welcome to provide suggestions for dates/activities in the team channel.

Keep a record of successful virtual events and reusable resources. This allows you to revisit and reuse activities, templates, or ideas to optimize costs and save time in future event planning.

Recommended activities and vendors

We recommend planning a variety of events to cater to diverse interests and preferences within the team. Some of the most beneficial team building events are ones where teammates can collaborate. This budget can be used for a wide array of activities including but not limited to:

  • Expensing teammates’ meal during a virtual event
  • Purchasing a virtual game night prize
  • Booking a virtual cooking class or online workshop
  • Booking a virtual escape room
  • Wellness and mental health related activities such as virtual yoga or meditation sessions

Recommended vendors:

Seek input from team members to understand their preferences and expectations for virtual events by using surveys or polls to gather feedback and suggestions.

Submitting Receipts

Receipts are required and can be submitted for reimbursement in Airbase under the “Team Travel” category. Include in the note that this was a virtual meetup, and which teammate(s) you met with.

Total budget is $150 per person per quarter. Please remember that any single, team events with expenditures above $1,500 require pre-approval from the finance team (finance@sourcegraph.com) via email or via #ask-finance.

If you have questions about how to use this budget, please reach out in #ask-people-team.