The cutbacks also include a 30 percent drop in "discretionary spending," which includes employee travel, training programs and overtime.

She also advises having a preselected group in place to make policy decisions about things like employee travel because a pandemic would leave little time for planning once it hit.

The US Government recognizes tips as allowable expenses for federal employee travel.

Large American companies like Pfizer and Tyson Foods said they had clamped down on employee travel.

Amoco, based in Chicago, began its program in 1993 as it started to see an increase in employee travel.

One business rethinking its expectations for employee travel is Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

All employee travel in the Kandahar Air Field area has been curtailed.

Grants are available to help businesses reduce costs and improve the efficiency of employee travel.

The moves include the postponement of employee pay increases until the second half of the year and a 30 percent reduction in "discretionary expenses" like employee travel.

As cost-cutting measures, he said, the laboratory planned to cut back on subcontractors, employee travel and conferences.