Tag: Travel Manager

How to make business travel enjoyable for staff

Initially, the thought of business travel is one that’s met with excitement. The indulgence of staying in a hotel, not having to cook for yourself, and being within walking distance of your colleagues for getting work done can be exciting.    However, when you’re away for lengths of time, the gloss of travel can also quickly disappear. Yet, the importance of traveling for work is something that greatly benefits businesses, and it’s therefore in everyone’s best interest to make it an enjoyable experience.  If you’re tasked with the job of employee welfare, travel bookings or HR at large, this feature is for you. Here are eight ways you can make business travel a pleasant experience.    Make travel easy Lessen the administration of business travel with an easy streamlined booking process that allows colleagues to make accommodation and transport bookings with ease. Travel booking platforms are one of the best ways to automate the process, whilst ensuring that budgets are met and colleagues aren’t inconvenienced by unnecessary expenses. It’s also helpful for travel managers too, since staff can make amendments and cancellations 24hrs without any office support.     Gratitude Acknowledging the personal sacrifice of business travel can go a long way to dedicated co-workers. This means respecting that colleagues often give up many personal hours travelling back and forth around the country, as well as lost hours in the evening. For some this means missing family events and personal occasions. What’s more, 88% of people agree that expressing gratitude to colleagues makes them feel happier and more fulfilled. This is an easy win offer your colleagues time off in lieu, give them a bonus, offer them a business perk and simply thank them personally for their contribution. A little goes a long way.    Front end expenses With the cost of living crisis, it’s a worrying time for the commuter-heavy workforce. The uncertainty around having enough money to cover costs and expenses may even prevent them from traveling in the first place. Help your teams by offering a pre-loaded staff travel card that covers their expenses. The Roomex pre-paid expense card is one of the best business travel credit cards, which helps with expense management too. No more being out of pocket for your employees.    Provide helpful local information    When on location it can be hard to get your bearings, for some they just don’t have the time. Take this burden away by providing a local travel guide for colleagues. This could include information about local points of interest, nearby restaurant recommendations, local gyms and places of sport. It’s important to remember that it’s not just about work, but wellbeing too showing that you’re a responsible and caring employer will certainly make that trip more bearable.    Offer support in and out of office hours Being away on business has its tough moments when you’re in unfamiliar surroundings. Having someone that staff can talk to is an important way to support colleagues. This could be an out-of-hours counselling phone line for those on the road, or perhaps membership to a mental health group or expert, or perhaps even something as simple as subscriptions to calming podcasts or meditation apps.    Check in on team members Similar to the above, it shouldn’t always be left for the employee to ask for help. Encourage line managers to contact their teams while away for business and check-in on them. A quick phone call, or Zoom face-to-face is a touching way of staying connected and making the out-of-office experience more palatable.     Say yes to belisure You’ve heard of belisure travel for good reason. Giving colleagues the opportunity to tag on holiday to the end of a business trip, is a great way of bringing the feel-good-factor to business travel. Being able to experience a new destination is one of the great joys of work travel, allow colleagues to embrace it and see the difference it makes.    Wellbeing matters And finally, as we’ve already touched on personal wellbeing matters. When away for lengths of time from home, it’s important to keep employee morale and wellbeing up. To this end, offering free vouchers to local gyms, swimming pools or sports facilities is a great way to promote a healthy work-life balance, and one they’ll thank you for too.     To learn more about how Roomex can help your remote workforce, check out roomex.com today. 

Why business travel remains important in 2022

As Covid-19 brought the world to a standstill, one industry was struck the harder than the rest: business travel. For months upon months, many businesses were forced to press pause on all but the most essential travel.     Shows and exhibitions went virtual, meetings were held on Zoom, and it’s fair to say that a personal human touch was lost. This was especially challenging for workers in jobs that require a physical presence – from the construction sector through to the road-heavy workforce.  But as we find our feet in the new normal and try to get back to where we once left off, it’s clear that things have changed. And while virtual and online contact has risen to the challenge, there are some situations where face-to-face contact is essential. This is why business travel must once again be prioritised, for ourselves, for our businesses, and for the economy. Let’s take a closer look.    Face-to-face contact  We can say with some ease that there’s no compensation for face-to-face contact when it comes to getting business done. A Harvard report on business found that in-person requests were 34 times more successful than those by email. As sociable creatures, human interaction and relationship building is integral to the way we communicate and operate.  Take this away, and all you’re left with is a perfunctory process.   If you want to cut that deal, get that contract, or galvanise a team, you’re best bet is to be there in person.    Missed opportunities  Some jobs are not desk-based. This was seen during the pandemic, when roughly only a quarter of people were able to work from home. For those out in the field, such as the construction sector, it highlighted the importance of business travel for their roles. As the industry bounces back, so must investment in business travel, and this includes removing any of the barriers to achieve it.  New procedures and procurement measures adopted during the pandemic have had a knock-on effect on this, making sign-off slow and challenging. In some cases, business trips have been replaced by online meetings, or cancelled altogether. Travel managers have their role to play, as we pivot once again. Introducing an online travel booking system, and having a corporate policy book can certainly help get business travel back on track.   Because as we know, missing business travel is a missed opportunity. Whether attending a trade show, meeting a client, or attending on-site builds, not being present means missed opportunities.    For the economy  Let’s not underestimate the benefits of business tourism to the country either. Looking at the statistics from the World Travel & Tourism Council, business travel experienced a loss of 60% in 2020, and recovery since has been slow. Even though there are positive signs of growth and consumer confidence returns, forecasts still expect growth to be up just 34% this year. And worldwide the loss is immense, with the economy losing $810.7 billion due to the pandemic.  All this has a huge knock-on effect on the way we do business, both with inbound and local business travel playing its role. As we know, without a buoyant economy, businesses are forced to make difficult decisions. In short, investment in travel is essential in order for recovery and growth.    Talent recruitment  Over the past few years, the pendulum has swung in favour of the professional, making it a candidate-bias market. This means that companies have to work even harder to recruit and keep good talent.  Considering that business travel is widely considered as a perk, along with bleisure travel, then budgets need to be allocated accordingly. Roughly a third of millennial and Gen Z professionals wouldn’t accept a job unless business travel is involved.    In-person experience  As a final thought – and as the saying goes travel broadens the mind. And this is certainly true in business too. It enriches us with new experiences, and gives us the first-hand experience to appreciate how other teams operate and the challenges they face. Furthermore, it also offers us a new and refreshing perspective on matters, that no virtual meeting could ever replicate. Perhaps, this might be the richest of all benefits of travelling for work.    Roomex is one of the leading online travel platforms equipping businesses with the tools they need for business success. 

11 things travel managers must include in a travel checklist

At any given time a large proportion of your workforce may be on the road. This is particularly true in certain industries, such as construction, engineering and manufacturing for instance.     And as these industries ease themselves back into business travel, it’s useful to have an updated business travel checklist to ensure all the essentials are thought of. Not only will this benefit employees, but it should form part of your organisation’s duty of care too.  When it comes to corporate travel management, here are 11 key things to think about when making travel bookings.  Book early It’s not just for peace of mind. Booking accommodation and transfers as early as possible, allows you to benefit from early savings. If you have the bonus of an online travel management company, you’ll also benefit from further discounts which are shared with preferred partners. The key here though is to book as early as possible.  Cost saving options In these austere times, cost-savings and budget management is a priority. Without squeezing the joy out of business travel, it’s worth considering if there are any ways to make savings. For instance, booking flexible tickets to avoid potential cancellation fees, car-sharing, room-sharing and booking a hotel that includes free gym access for workers on location for lengths of time.  Covid safety policy While restrictions and Covid protocols are no longer legally enforced, it’s still important as a responsible employer to lay down your Covid safety policy and share this with employees in advance of work trips. This should highlight your expectations from employees when traveling, what to do in the event of having Covid-19 (before, after and during trips), as well as safety policies around protecting others. This should be located within your corporate travel policy and regularly updated too.  Factor in transfer time If you’re putting an itinerary together for colleagues, always factor in enough time for delays, cancellations and transfers. Especially at the moment with travel disruption being high, it’s especially beneficial.  Paperless tickets In these digital times, it’s easy to forget that paperless tickets are the new norm. If you’re booking corporate travel UK for other colleagues, then remember to share all the booking details with them, including tickets, QR codes and booking passcodes. Since minimalist business travel is the future, it’s well worth investing in a cloud, app, or online sharing system, for ensuring everything is located in one place.  Link to the business travel policy  Bookings aside, it’s always useful to share your corporate travel policy with colleagues before a trip. This should provide guidance around expenses, travel and cancellation when working away from home.    Connectivity  Whether colleagues are located in a hotel, Airbnb or a rented apartment, you’ll need to consider connectivity. WiFi is an essential part of remote working, now more than ever.  On-site facilities   Even on a limited travel budget, companies need to give due consideration to employee wellbeing. This is especially true when colleagues are working away for longer periods of time (weeks sometimes months) without home comforts to hand. This means ensuring they are well located to nearby restaurants, supermarkets and petrol stations, as well as have easy access to a local gym or exercise facility. Even if this means paying a premium for a central location, it’s something that corporate travel managers need to prioritise.  Travel insurance  The important matter of travel insurance needs to be on your business travel checklist. It’s wise to organise this as early as possible, since it will cover the traveller for any unforeseeable cancellations prior to the trip, as well as incidents during.  Out-of-hours contact  Although this should already be covered in your corporate travel policy, it’s always helpful to highlight out-of-hours contacts for emergencies. This should include key phone numbers for cancellations, customer services and private medical care, if applicable. You can avoid many issues by using a booking platform that carries out reservation checks with hotels ahead of your employee’s arrival.  Create a call sheet   And finally for your business travel checklist, once everything is booked and secured, it’s helpful to produce a call sheet/itinerary/schedule. Typically, this will include all the ticketing and booking information, along with exact dates and times of travel, and accommodation details. You might also want to include some local information, including nearest medical assistance and support.   If you’re looking for a trusted all-in-one solution for workforce travel and expense management, visit Roomex to find out more.  

Compliance Enforcement Number One Booking Challenge Post-Pandemic

How do you keep your traveling workforce compliant? This is the question that 60% of organizations are currently facing.     According to a recent survey carried out by the Global Business Travel Association in partnership with Roomex, policy compliance ranks as the number one booking challenge faced by travel managers. This was followed by traveler satisfaction and keeping track of all employees on the road.    This survey compiled data from 154 GBTA member travel managers, who were all asked various questions about their organization’s project-based business travel in a post-pandemic environment. This data helps to show the major challenges that organizations are facing today as they get back on the road and quantify the benefits of switching to a modern solution for travel and expense management.  Among the results are interesting findings such as how organizations are booking their project travel and what organizations see as the most crucial factors when making project travel bookings. These findings point to the growing importance of a feature-rich travel tech solution combining typical accommodation and expenses features with Duty of Care and analytics. Roomex was built with the workforce travel manager in mind, offering an end-to-end solution to save time and money when booking business travel. To find out more about how Roomex can improve your travel booking process, click here. You can find all the survey’s findings in the infographic below.        If you’re looking for a trusted all-in-one solution for workforce travel and expense management, visit Roomex to find out more. 

How to Create a Sustainable Travel Program

As we’ve seen over the past 12 months, sustainability has crept up the news agenda crossing over into the mainstream. As a pressing issue, there’s no escaping it as a priority in your organisation.   As the world starts to return to pre-pandemic normality, so are norms such as business travel. However, in light of the past two years, and recent events such as COP21, we must come together to look at how we move forward with a new emphasis on minimising our global footprint. With time to reflect on our personal and professional habits, co-workers will undoubtedly return to the office with a renewed interest in their part to play too. In a recent industry survey, over half of all European companies said they include sustainability initiatives in their company’s travel policy  a figure that’s only set to grow. So where does this leave your business? If you haven’t already reviewed your existing travel policy, or if you’re in the process of creating one, it’s time to put your sustainability hat on. Here’s how TD;LR With the return to pre-pandemic norms, our global footprint is now a priority. Review your travel policy, set clear objectives, minimise and prioritise travel, ensure consistency with sustainability goals, and engage employees. Collecting data helps manage and mitigate carbon emissions. Embracing sustainability benefits the planet while improving brand perception and reducing costs. Be clear on your objectives First and foremost, it’s important to understand what your corporate sustainability program stands for and what your objectives are. Is it to rebalance your organisation’s carbon footprint, to improve the way you conduct business travel, or perhaps to lead the way in your sector? Once you understand your core objectives, everything else will fall into place. These values should be shared with colleagues and should be easy to remember, so they can be widely adopted and implemented in the long-term. Minimising and prioritising travel When creating a travel program, it’s important to look at how you can operate in the most efficient way. A helpful tool for evaluating this is the three Rs, as follows: Reduce: How can you lower your carbon footprint on a business trip? For instance, carpool options, or perhaps limitations on the number of times you fly annually. Review: Business travel is an essential and important part of corporate life, and as we’ve seen, there’s no compensation for face-to-face meetings. However, not all business trips are essential. Is there a process in place to review what trips should be prioritised and the criteria in place so decisions are made without bias? Replenish: Look at how you can compensate for emissions produced. There’s a growing number of ways you can offset your carbon footprint when travelling for work or pleasure. For instance, Roomex plants a tree for every 100 hotel rooms booked through its platform. In partnership with OneTreePlanted, it’s a thoughtful way to balance out the necessity of work travel. Keeping it consistent Sustainability shouldn’t be seen as a box-ticking exercise, it must be a considered and authentic part of your overarching business strategy. As such, your corporate travel program must dovetail into your company’s key sustainability objectives. How can your business support the communities it serves and make a difference in an authentic way? This should be at the very core of what you’re trying to achieve. Returnable benefits You can’t dispute the data, which is why it’s so important to be able to demonstrate a return on investment (ROI) to key decision makers. One of the many benefits of a considered sustainability travel program is that it can reduce unnecessary travel and associated costs, as well as helping to meet targets such as zero-waste. There’s also the benefit of brand perception to customers and clients, as a business with green credentials. Engage colleagues Since your employees are often at the forefront of business travel, why not ask them for their views and feedback? Not only can this help generate great ideas to take forward, but it will help them understand why a sustainability program is important, and encourage buy-in. Collecting data Collecting CO2 data from suppliers, clients and tools is one way you can manage and therefore mitigate (or offset) your carbon footprint. It might also force you to look at other, perhaps more efficient ways of operating. For instance, Roomex has seen an increase in queries around its ability to simplify the travel process, and help businesses stay on top of work travel movements. Case study: PwC’s Thoughtful Travel Programme PwC, a global leader in professional services, has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030 precipitating significant change in how it approaches business travel. With offices in 152 countries and over 328,000 employees worldwide, business travel represents a substantial portion of PwC’s carbon footprint. But, by leveraging digital technologies and adopting a ‘more from less’ approach to flights and physical meetings, PwC has successfully reduced air travel emissions by 76% since 2019 and overall business travel emissions by half. The new Thoughtful Travel Programme encourages employees to reconsider the frequency of their trips and their modes of transport, advocating for fewer, longer trips that encompass more client meetings to reduce the need for repeat visits. Summary The global pandemic has given us an opportunity to pause and evaluate the way we carry out business. As we return to business travel, the time is now to review how we can better align values with strategy and make a positive change for the future of our planet in a positive way. FAQs What is a sustainable travel plan? A sustainable travel plan is a strategic approach aimed at reducing the environmental impact of business travel activities while maintaining business efficiency. It involves measures such as minimising carbon emissions, promoting alternative transportation methods, and encouraging mindful travel behaviour among employees.   Is sustainable travel a trend? Sustainable travel is less a trend and more a growing imperative. In 2023, 74% of travellers recognised the urgency of making sustainable choices to preserve..

How to combat the rising cost of business travel post-COVID

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If you’re in charge of organising construction travel plans for your company, your goal is simple. You need to book clean, comfortable rooms for employees to relax in after a long day on the road – or, in some cases, building the roads. You have to ensure they can get a good meal – and often a late check-in too. Sounds reasonably straightforward, right?

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