"Only Y" isn't enough info to answer the question.
Do you they let you focus on single airline/alliance? Thus making status much easier to attain/retain
Is it lowest Y only?
Can you buy W? (Premium Economy)
What destinations/routes? OP says it's an American company, so is the travel to the States? If so - I'd think about joining one of the American carriers' programs, where elite upgrades are a bigger part of the program.
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My perspective: I work for a company with a "lowest reasonable Y fare" policy - but there's some flexibility in it. We can buy W in some cases. We can focus on a preferred airline/alliance. I get upgraded on most of my domestic flights and a good portion of my intl longhauls. It's fine - I have three long-haul roundtrips in Y coming up in April alone.
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Originally Posted by
woodey
...but long-haul Y then straight into a meeting seems brutal.
This, however, is worrisome. Straight from the plane into a meeting is just bad policy regardless of travel class. Recipe for tired, stressed employees. Not to mention what happens if the flight is delayed - there goes the meeting.
I'd get clarification to be sure that it's not within policy to arrive the day before the meeting.