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The return of business travel has a major impact on talent attraction and retention, according to preliminary findings from the fourth annual Global Business Traveller Report commissioned by SAP Concur.
But who are these global business travelers at risk of churn, what are their expectations, and why is travel volume so closely related to job satisfaction?
Current levels of business travel are threatening job satisfaction
Almost all global business travelers (96%) are eager to regain the edge of travel this year. These include personal interests such as experiencing new places and cultures, going out to dinner parties and events, and simply taking a break from everyday life.
In terms of business benefits, nearly half of travelers want to restore relationship-building opportunities through face-to-face connections and look forward to the productivity of face-to-face meetings.
However, three in five business travelers say their current travel plans have fallen short of their expectations. A change in the direction of corporate travel may be to blame, many said, with 82% reporting that their companies are returning to pre-pandemic levels, but with a “less shoulders more travel” approach.
This results in nearly a quarter of business travelers not traveling as often as desired, with 23% saying they would look for a new role if their travel schedule didn’t improve, especially for Gen Z (35%). That compares with 24% of millennials, 20% of Gen Xers and 16% of baby boomers.
The return of business travel calls for policy reshuffle
Notably, business traveler expectations have remained largely unchanged since 2021. This year, 91% believe some flexible travel and booking options are essential for their company to protect their health and safety while they travel – compared to 89% in 2021 .
Beyond that, business travelers feel empowered to decline travel if it doesn’t meet their expectations or comfort levels. Safety concerns about traveling to certain parts of the world are the most common reason they refuse business travel, with more than half of business travelers saying they would. In fact, 84% of business travelers say their business travel has been affected by the war in Ukraine.
Half of business travelers would be willing to decline a company-assigned business trip if they had Covid-19-related health concerns. One in four business travelers would be willing to refuse a business trip if they were exhausted from travel and needed a break, and one in four would refuse to travel if they needed to use non-sustainable travel options.
However, given the power dynamics in today’s labor market, business travelers intend to demand more in order to accept positions that require more travel: 92% say they need additional salary, benefits or travel flexibility to make the move.
While nearly three-fifths want higher salaries and bonuses for roles that require more travel than they currently do, others may be drawn to benefits to make their jobs more enjoyable. Nearly two-fifths of business travelers (39%) need extra vacation time, and almost as many (37%) want the ability to work from home as a temptation.
Successfully attracting executives to positions that require additional travel may require more than higher salaries and bonuses. In fact, just over half of executive-level business travelers would choose roles that travel more based on this benefit (51%).
Tourism sector faces new pressures in volatile environment
The travel industry faces myriad challenges in 2022, including lingering health and safety concerns related to Covid-19, rising travel costs and rampant travel cancellations and delays. Business travelers are more concerned about trip cancellations and delays (61%) than the often dreaded task of filing travel expense reports (39%).
In turn, we saw significant changes in stress levels before, during and after business travel. Nearly two-fifths of global business travelers say the travel period is the most stressful phase of their travels—a seven-point increase from 31 percent of business travelers in 2021.
All travel managers surveyed expect their roles to be more challenging over the next 12 months compared to last year. More than half of travel managers say their work stress is now the same or more than it was a year ago. Many believe that the pressure is caused by increased scrutiny from the top, with increasing pressure from senior leaders to justify the ROI of their role.
49% of travel managers expect to face challenges due to frequent personnel changes, and 47% of travel managers expect challenges to accommodate more travelers in secondary markets and smaller towns. Half of travel managers (50%) say that increasing expense reporting will challenge their jobs in the year ahead, and two in five (40%) say the same. Almost as many travel managers foresee challenges from reduced travel budgets (39%) and changes in department headcount (36%).
Year-over-year changes in business traveler stress levels are some of the most revealing findings about the state of business travel. They remind us that industry challenges are not theoretical. In these moments of change — the pandemic, the big job cuts and inflation — the impacts are very real, and global business travelers are feeling and experiencing them firsthand. “
This year’s survey also provides insights into sustainability trends, generational differences among business travelers, and more.
About the author: Gabriele Indrieri is Vice President and Managing Director of SAP Concur EMEA South.
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