Business travel has experienced a major upheaval in the past 2 years. In fact, the whole way we approach working patterns and business policy has been uprooted. The pandemic has caused a shift in societal and professional expectations, meaning large parts of your business policy may be outdated and in need of an evaluation. Corporate travel is an area where expectations and attitudes may never be the same again. As such, it’s time to redefine your corporate travel policy for the benefit of your business, employees and sustainability. What aspects might be outdated and where can you look to change?
Who needs to travel and when?
The pandemic brought about a temporary halt to travel around the world, but businesses found a way to overcome this challenge and continue operations. The result was a fundamental question being by a lot of organisations – do most employees really need to travel? And if some do, when is it actually necessary?
The first step you can take in redefining your corporate travel policy is identifying which roles in your business actually require travel and which circumstances create the necessity. For example, can some sales calls be carried out over the phone or video call instead of face-to-face? Obviously some positions, such as senior executives, may have to travel more regularly for more urgent or significant meetings – but identifying when travel is necessary will help to provide some structure to your policy.
How can we support travellers better?
The wellbeing of your employees should have always been a fundamental aspect of your business and travel policies, but now there needs to be an even greater emphasis on it. Cost cutting is an understandable and sometimes inevitable process when it comes to business travel, but it shouldn’t be done at the expense of your employees’ health and wellbeing.
Always choosing the cheapest travel and accommodation options is more likely to demotivate and lower morale for business travellers, impacting their performance and your return on investment. Perhaps you could look to invest a little more in alternatives like serviced apartments in London, for example, or provide more for meal expenses and so on. You may want to update your corporate travel policy to reflect the need for greater support and encouragement when it comes to open discussions about mental health.
How can we make travel more sustainable?
Another key area of discussion with regard to corporate travel these days is sustainability and the environment. Air travel accounts for a significant percentage of global CO2 emissions worldwide, thus finding ways to reduce this impact should be an important part of your social responsibility policy.
Businesses can help to reduce their impact by choosing environmentally conscious suppliers and travel providers, as well only travelling only when absolutely necessary – as was outlined earlier. Some corporate travel must be done, but it’s about doing it in the right way that should be emphasised in your redefined policy.
Times have changed, and your corporate travel policy should also. What changes will you make?
HR Future Staff Writer
