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Check-In with Suzanne
Back to Office Means Back to Business Travel – Or Does it?
During my GBTA Convention Main Stage presentation on the “State of the Global Business Travel Industry,” I shared that many of us in our sector have been asking the same question – “Where are we now?” – when it comes to the trajectory of recovery and planning for what’s next.
One of the areas our industry is still trying to assess is how the return of workers to offices aligns to the return to business travel. And vice versa.
A year ago, we saw trending polling data that told us the return to office would be a key enabler for return to business travel. But what we’re seeing now in several large markets is actually different… travel may be coming back faster than people are to offices.
From a GBTA July 2022 survey, more frequent business travelers want to travel (85%) and say they need it to accomplish their goals. This compares to data from a June U.S. poll which indicated approximately 55% of employees are working full-time onsite while the remainder are partially (35%) or fully remote (15%). Although there are several factors that would come into play, this might indicate that more people want to travel for business than want to commute to an office.
Additionally, in a recent discussion I had on business travel and office trends with a major global company, their leaders told me they were seeing a 40% return of employees to their London-based office and only 16-20% in their New York City area-based offices. Others from Fortune 500 companies outside of major cities with whom I spoke while in San Diego two weeks ago said they are essentially 100% back to the office.
So, what does that mean for travel managers and corporate travel policy as the “Future of Work” movement continues to up-end our industry and “standard” processes from pre-COVID? It probably depends on the industry, roles, employee sentiment, and company culture. A one-size approach will not fit all, and ongoing analysis, adaptation, and internal communication and coordination will be key for travel managers as the dynamics of work and travel will likely continue to change. Keeping a seat at the table that you earned in the midst of the pandemic is going to be key as you work out new policies to meet your company’s current trajectory of “recovery.”
In the coming weeks, watch for and make your voice heard as we field our next GBTA Business Travel Recovery Poll where we’ll continue to explore this topic and others in our ongoing benchmarking and assessment of our industry’s evolution. In the meantime, you can check out the all the available GBTA Research and resources on our newly redesigned website.
Suzanne
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