The number of remote workers who travel to different locations around the world on a regular basis has increased post-pandemic, with experts now referring to this as the ‘digital nomad’ trend.
Whilst the appetite for change exists among workers, there are few organisations that have an official policy for digital nomads. If the digital nomad
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1. The rise of the Digital Nomad
trend is something you want your business to capitalise on, it's not only the responsibility of the travel manager; it requires involvement from other stakeholders in your business.Don’t forget to communicate remote working policies clearly to all employees, providing clarity and increased awareness on how to stay safe whilst working from alternative locations.
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2. Travelling with true business needs at the heart
The next 12 months of business travel and meetings will be critical. Travel managers will be required to clearly outline what business travel is deemed necessary and what isn’t. Understanding where and why virtual meetings have fallen short throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic will help to determine this. Defining
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2. Travelling with true business needs at the heart
which in-person meetings are essential and which can be held online is key.
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3. Say hello to the new business traveller
Switching from the office to remote working has eliminated the need to commute for almost 23.5 million Brits during the pandemic. Throughout 2022, as restrictions ease, we suspect that travel patterns will shift, and remote work will lead to more travel.
With 84 per cent of UK businesses planning on having a hybrid, flexible or remote
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3. Say hello to the new business traveller
workforce post-pandemic, what used to be a commute to the office now becomes a business trip. Employers are recognising that they still have a duty to keep their teams engaged, focused, and integrated; and occasionally, workers may need to travel to internal meetings held at locations specified by their company.
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3. Say hello to the new business traveller
As a result, organisations and travel managers will need to adjust their programs to the not-so-new ways of working, taking into consideration that the commuter of yesterday is the business traveller of today.
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4. Turning up the heat on sustainable travel
Hoping to ‘build back better’, following the COVID-19 travel bans, new initiatives are being launched to tackle the impact that corporate travel has on our environment. From creating new guidelines and tools that enable employees to make climate-smart travel decisions to implementing electric-only company car policies and
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4. Turning up the heat on sustainable travel
carbon offsetting programmes; companies of all sizes and from all sectors are striving to deliver positive change.Sustainability can no longer be an afterthought for travel managers. Many are leading the way in creating ambitious carbon emission targets; however, it is the delivery and actions which
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4. Turning up the heat on sustainable travel
will determine the long-term success of a sustainable travel programme.
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5. Taxi and private hire vehicles will take preference over public transport
In 2021, Opinium Research data revealed that 30% of people plan to change the way that they travel post-pandemic, with many commuters expressing safety concerns about getting on packed trains. Travel managers will need to offer alternative solutions to cater to their travellers’ perceptions of safety and help them to maintain a level of social distancing.
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5. Taxi and private hire vehicles will take preference over public transport
Controlling risks and taking measures to limit the number of people your staff come into contact with is essential. Travel Managers may be expected to help travellers plan their journey from the moment they leave their home; especially as we say hello to a new type of business traveller (trend #3 on this list).