How Remote Work Continues to Redefine Business Travel in 2022
We know that remote work continues to reshape companies across the world and continues to power new travel solutions for employee gatherings, business travels, and remote working spaces.
Now, employers are challenged with a new set of questions that directly impact the travel industry in a remote-focused working force:
- How can they empower their company culture in a remote environment?
- What tools do they have to promote employee engagement?
- What business trips are worth the time and money?
- How do they choose what events to be a part of?
Read our blog to discover how the travel industry can help companies and employers make these decisions and how business travel is quickly evolving and changing.
Will remote work stay after covid?
If you’re wondering if setting up a remote work travelling strategy is worth it, considering the fallback on covid restrictions and the apparent return to normality, think again. Remote work is definitely here to stay.
According to an Owl labs study, 62% of workers between the age of 22 to 65 claim to have worked remotely. The same study found that millennials would give up on benefits, such as health insurance or paid vacations, just for the opportunity to work from home. This is a revealing fact that shows you how much younger generations are pressuring employers to go fully remote.
We have already discussed how workstations are shaping our travelling habits, and we know that some trends we have noticed since the beginning of the pandemic will continue this year.
Remote solutions will continue to impact travelling, but we expect to witness a boom in business travel with restrictions slowing down. Company gatherings, retreats, trade fairs, and even simple business meetings will be the highlight of 2022.
How many companies are moving to fully remote or hybrid models?
It’s hard to know how many companies are now fully remote. But we know the number keeps growing and that hybrid solutions are following this trend.
According to Owl labs, 16% of companies are entirely remote. The same study tells us that workers are happy with this apparent transition and that they indicate that a better work-life balance is the number one reason they prefer remote work. And that includes, of course, the freedom to travel.
But it’s not just the workers pushing for an ever-growing remote solution. According to a study published by Stanford, the financial benefits of remote work are helping employees and motivating employers.
It is estimated that companies that allow remote work see an average increase of $2,000 in profit per remote worker. So we can expect more and more companies to join this set-up.
Remote workers vs digital nomads
Despite popular belief, there’s a huge difference between a remote worker and a digital nomad. So, if you’re planning to capture customers and travellers on both sides, you should understand the main aspects of these groups of workers.
A digital nomad travels and explores while working. This means they’re not confined to a specific space, country, or even schedule. Work is organised around travelling, not the other way around.
As for remote workers, they tend to stay in just one place for longer periods. This does not mean that a remote worker does not enjoy the advantage of not having to go to the office. It just means that even if they move (to spend some time working away from home), they’ll probably spend a lot more time standing still.
If you’re planning specific travel offers, make sure to remember that although a digital nomad is probably more open to moving places and doing a lot more activities, a remote worker has to stick to a specific place and daily schedule.
Business travel current situation and expectation
We’ve already established that remote work and hybrid solutions forever change the travel industry and tourism services. But what seemed impossible two years ago is now a reality: business travel is back, even though people are not returning to the office.
A simple read through Skift’s article “Remote Work Is Defining a New Socialitazion For Business Travel” gives us a real sense of how much this sector is ready to grow. The simple fact is that employees have been away from each other for too long, and employers believe that needs change.
Company culture and happiness are the key elements that allow travel providers to explore new ways to engage with companies. Companies are worried about reinforcing collaboration between co-workers and internal relationships. Travel brands are the perfect starting point to ease these concerns.
Additionally, conferences, trade fairs and simple business meetings are all on the rise again. It is clear that companies are no longer interested in being everywhere all of the time, but they still what to go some places.
It is expected that environmental issues and financial concerns will play a huge role when it comes to deciding where to be and who to meet. So each experience has to be indispensable to companies.
Business retreats
Team building has been put on hold for the last couple of years, and companies have felt the aftermath of that reality. While workers and employers quickly adapted to conduct business in a digital environment, personal relationships took a toll. 2022 is the year that changes across the travel industry.
Companies want to welcome new people, spread their mission across the various teams, and want co-workers to collaborate organically. And if going back to the office full-time is not an option, business retreats are the answer.
Other examples of business travel
- Event and conference travel
- Internal meetings
- Company retreats
- Client meetings
- Trade fairs
- Bleisure travel
The role of Travel brands
Travel brands and providers have to adapt quickly. Logistics for business trips have become a lot more complex because companies have to gather people spread across multiple locations on a specific date. It is expected that they would rely even more on travel brands to help them prepare for the challenges.
The emphasis needs to be on relationship-building, and choices must be made considering the virtual component of the new work rules. The idea is not to have a lot of options companies can choose from but to focus on the actual needs and challenges they would have difficulties dealing with on their own.
Business travel and travel brands: how to approach companies
If you’re hoping to approach companies and provide them with corporate travel options, here’s a simple set of guidelines on what you should be working on:
- Agility and adaptability
We all know by now how fast things can change. Equip your travel brand with the capacity to adapt plans quickly.
- Personalised experiences with safety in mind
Companies are looking to make their time and money worthwhile. Unique experiences around their needs and culture are essential.
- Communication is key
Build communications workflows that effectively reach everyone involved at the right time.
- Real-time data to inform clients
Travel intermediaries, such as OTAs and GDS, are useful sources of data. Build solutions that inform your clients of where and when their needs will be met.
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