The changing mood of the workforce is not only reflected in surveys and statistics - companies are currently feeling the wave of layoffs hard and directly. But it's not just the labor market that's on the move. With the relaxation of travel policies, a steady increase in business travel activity can be observed. The pent-up demand for new impetus and relationship-building is great, and employees are drawn out into the world - but they also have concerns. The initial findings of the annual SAP-Concur study on business travel leave no doubt: that as varied as the reasons for voluntary resignations are, they are also linked to current business travel activities. Three out of five business travelers worldwide (61%) say their current travel frequency is not meeting their expectations.
First results of the Global Business Travel Survey 2022
What companies can and must consider in order to score points in talent search and employee retention is illustrated by further results of the current Global Business Travel Survey 2022 among 3,850 business travelers from 25 global markets and 700 travel managers across seven global markets.
Business travelers want to travel again - but not too much, and not too little. Almost one in four business travelers (23%) who do not travel at their desired frequency say they will look for a new job if their travel plans do not improve. Some companies changed business travel strategies according to which only a certain proportion of business travelers are allowed travel again, which could cause resentment. For example, four out of five business travelers (82%) say their company is returning to pre-pandemic levels but with a "more travel on fewer shoulders" approach.
Traveling… yes, but please with additional compensation. Employees want to ramp up their travel again. At the same time, business travelers are not willing to accept a new job that requires more travel without additional compensation, or other benefits: 92% of respondents say they also expect a higher salary, more employee benefits or more travel flexibility for a job that involves more travel.
Flexibility is the name of the game in business travel. Travel flexibility is not just a convenience for business travelers: Nine out of ten business travelers (91%) consider flexible travel and booking options essential to protect their health and safety on business trips. However, they are not very willing to compromise on this point.
Business travelers pay more attention to their health. Half of the business travelers (51%) are quite willing to turn down a business trip advised by their company if they have health concerns about the trip due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Also, a quarter of business travelers (26%) would stay home if they felt burned out from traveling and needed a break.
Safety is the top priority for business travelers. The most common reason employees would not take a business trip is security concerns when traveling to certain parts of the world (53%).
No compromises on the sustainability factor. Employees also do not want to travel at the expense of the environment. A quarter of business travelers (24%) would cancel a trip they assigned if the travel options were not sustainable.