Business travel is entering a new era. Three years on from the start of the pandemic, many factors – a distributed US workforce with people working from virtual offices, concern about employee engagement and retention, and the call for more corporate social responsibility – are flipping the script on how we view business travel. Organizations are weighing both the costs and the benefits of their corporate travel program in a more holistic fashion that considers both the monetary costs of travel, as well as the impact on travelers when determining travel program and policies.
Business travel isn’t going away. Whether it is for client meetings, conferences, or sales pitches, travel is a key component of a company’s success. Conferences and trade shows can build brand image, expose your products to new audiences and provide a vehicle for sharing ideas and information among colleagues. Face-to-face meetings are often vital to creating meaningful connections between clients and suppliers. However, today’s emerging intentional or purposeful travel model seeks to align corporate travel programs strategically with core business objectives that consider the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of business travel and how it can make positive outcomes for business with the minimal adverse impact.
In the past, the topic of business travel management was limited to just logistical and cost considerations. However, rote or habitual travel can be expensive and lead to missed opportunities, unproductive meetings, and wasted resources.
What Does it Mean to Travel with Intention?
Firstly, intentionality in business travel ensures that the trip aligns with the company’s objectives. By having a clear understanding of what the company hopes to achieve through the trip, employees can plan and prepare accordingly. For instance, if the goal is to close a sales deal, the sales team can prepare a detailed presentation and schedule a meeting with the potential client to ensure that the trip is worthwhile. Without this fore thought, employees may go on a trip without a clear objective, squandering both time and resources.
Intentionality in business travel can lead to more productive meetings. When employees know what they hope to achieve through the trip, they can prepare better for meetings, including researching the client or topic of discussion, and preparing a detailed agenda. Understanding why their people travel can help travel mangers drive a more valuable discussion that helps them adapt their travel programs in ways that align to the culture and company objectives. Additionally, intentionality in business travel can lead to better time management, ensuring that all meetings and activities are scheduled and executed effectively. Ultimately, this can lead to better relationships with clients and partners, leading to improved business outcomes.
Prioritizing Corporate Traveler Wellbeing
Companies are recognizing that their employees’ mental, physical, and emotional well-being must be an integral part of an organization’s travel operations. Intentionality in business travel can have a positive impact on employee well-being. Business travel can be stressful, and without clear objectives or plans, employees can feel overwhelmed, leading to burnout and decreased productivity. By having a clear understanding of what they hope to achieve through the trip, employees can plan accordingly, including taking breaks, scheduling downtime, and ensuring they have the necessary resources to complete their tasks. Ultimately, this can lead to a better work-life balance and improved job satisfaction, which can positively impact the organization’s overall productivity and success.
More and more corporate travel buyers are looking for ways to measure and mitigate the adverse impact of business travel on employees. Travel management companies like Egencia and TripActions have debited online tools that collect and analyze data relative to traveler wellbeing. John Sturino, video president of product and technology at Egencia, said recently: “Before the pandemic there were certain things that weren’t thought of as part of the travel manager’s job, and I think wellness was one of them. Once you get into a position as a general manager where you don’t see people every day, a lot of those signals you used to have to say whether your folks are doing okay, went away.”
Taking Care of Business Travelers is Good Business
Intentionality in business travel can also lead to cost savings. When employees have a clear understanding of what they hope to achieve through the trip, they can plan accordingly, including choosing the most cost-effective travel options and accommodations. Additionally, having a clear objective can help employees prioritize their expenses, ensuring that they spend only on what is necessary to achieve the company’s goals. Ultimately, this can lead to cost savings for the organization, which can be reinvested in other areas of the business.
Travel managers implementing wellness metrics report seeing direct links between traveler well-being and successful business outcomes, with measurable return on investment of time, money and effort, and we’ll find better ways to measure and assess, intervene and predict, just how to help travelers continually improve their wellness.”
Sustainability
Finally, intentionality in business travel can lead to a positive impact on the environment. Business travel can have a significant carbon footprint, contributing to climate change. By having a clear objective, employees can plan and schedule their trips more effectively, ensuring that they choose the most environmentally friendly travel options. Additionally, intentionality in business travel can lead to more virtual meetings, reducing the need for travel and decreasing the organization’s carbon footprint.
At the “Purposeful Travel Summit” hosted by Microsoft last year, attendees, comprised of a broad swath of industry professionals including buyers and suppliers, concluded that future business travel should endeavor to have “higher impact, lower footprint and greater inclusivity” and that includes minimal impact on traveler health.
In conclusion, intentionality in business travel is critical for the success of an organization. It ensures that the trip aligns with the company’s objectives, leads to more productive meetings, improves employee well-being, can lead to cost savings, and has a positive impact on the environment. As such, organizations should encourage their employees to plan their trips with intentionality, including setting clear objectives, preparing effectively for meetings, prioritizing expenses, and choosing the most environmentally friendly travel options. Ultimately, this can lead to a more successful, productive, and sustainable organization. Duty of care obligations mean companies are legally required to look after their traveling employees from a safety perspective.
Travel managers have a unique opportunity to expand their scope and to be recognized as a leader by the executive team. Creating a framework for deciding which trips to prioritize, and perhaps increase, will also help with an age-old problem travel managers have struggled with – how to communicate the value of business travel. And that’s where purposeful travel comes in.
