As business travel begins to resume in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the vast majority of travelers are willing to get back on the road, but they expect their companies to support them by adopting more flexible travel polices, according to a new survey from SAP Concur.
The travel and expense management giant's annual global business travel survey, conducted by Wakefield Research, polled 3,850 business travelers in 25 worldwide markets between April 15 and May 10, 2021.
Concur in May released preliminary study data in which 96 percent of respondents indicated they were willing to travel during the next year, and also illustrated widespread demand for more flexibility in corporate policies as travel resumes. The newly released full survey results delve deeper into that post-Covid traveler priority.
Flexibility ranked as the most vital consideration for business travelers canvassed in the poll, with 72 percent of respondents citing that as a top priority—outpacing even policies to ensure that themselves, colleagues and clients are vaccinated, which were cited by 62 percent of respondents.
Specific demands related to flexibility included being allowed to select preferred accommodations (cited by 46 percent of respondents) and mode of travel (43 percent). Further, 39 percent said they wanted the option to book travel directly on supplier websites, with an identical percentage expressing a desire to determine the length of a trip. Meanwhile, 52 percent said they wanted to choose direct flights, even when more expensive, while 41 percent indicated they expect to be able to stay in four- and five-star hotels and 39 percent said they expect to select premium seating options.
But perhaps the most important flexibility travelers are demanding is the ability to decide whether or not to travel in the first place, according to at least one travel manager.
"We're not putting pressure on anybody who doesn't feel comfortable traveling, nor are we telling anyone who has a need to travel not to do so. We really are letting employees make the decision that's right for them," said Ann Kloepfer, global travel agency service delivery manager for Microsoft.
Speaking during a Concur webinar held in conjunction with the release of the full report, Kloepfer noted that Microsoft has committed to an all-virtual approach for its own large meetings and events through 2021 and will shift to a hybrid model in 2022, with employees able to opt for in-person or virtual attendance.
"It's really going to be the choice of the individual," said Kloepfer.
Companies that fail to offer that autonomy in their post-Covid travel policies could face consequences in terms of employee happiness and attrition, according to the Concur survey. Twenty percent of respondents said they would look for a new position elsewhere if satisfactory health and safety travel policies were not put into place. Younger workers were even more likely to be willing to walk, with 56 percent of Millennial and Generation Z respondents saying they'd seek to exit their company in that case.
For travel managers, ensuring the new demands of employees are met adds to an already-full to-do list as travel resumes. In a separate Concur survey of 700 travel managers, 99 percent said they expect their job to become more challenging over the next 12 months compared to the previous 12.
The main challenges managers expect to face include communicating and ensuring compliance with new and revised travel policies (cited by 60 percent of respondents), handling last-minute booking changes and cancellations (53 percent) and navigating changes to government regulations regarding travel (51 percent).