The dials on the economic dashboard are pointing in all directions. The shape of the workforce is shifting, and remote employees struggle to feel connected with colleagues and work. Some might say this is the wrong time to reimagine the travel policy. However, I’d argue the exact opposite. Why? Because the changing workforce dynamic will prove to be the most powerful force shaping our industry in the year ahead.

Forward-thinking companies are leaning into travel to help strengthen culture and build the organizational resilience they need to weather this volatile climate. They recognize it’s about far more than retention, it’s about the very nature of how they work most effectively and efficiently. They understand that in-person meetings are critical for the health of their organizations but aren’t necessarily connecting this to the central role that the travel policy should play in making the modern workforce ‘work.’

Internal was the fastest growing meetings category last year and it will be again for in 2023, according to our 2023 Meetings and Events Forecast. And companies are investing in the quality of these events; the forecast found that only 32 percent of internal meetings are expected to be held on company property, with 40 percent held in different cities, and 45 percent including overnight accommodation for attendees. Imagine someone in 2020 saying that meetings would outpace transient travel after the pandemic. But that’s exactly what’s happened. The counter-intuitive trends show we are just beginning to learn the true impact of the new normal.

Companies are still testing and learning what works for them in the hybrid workplace environment. The travel policy and program needs to be a part of the process. Defaulting to the prioritization of external travel and meetings will now, for example, impact more than just savings, it will cost you social capital. If lockdown taught us anything, it’s that the fabric of business is as much about teamwork as those critical vendor and customer relationships.

Travel Decision Makers Make the Difference

Given the growing focus on travel for internal meetings, here’s the key question—and opportunity—for the travel decision maker: What’s your role in crafting the connection strategy for your modern workforce?

This varies by company. The role and responsibilities of the travel decision maker are not standardized.  We have large global customers who do not negotiate or manage smaller internal meetings as part of their travel programs. How does this impact your ability to help your company deliver a consistent work experience via travel and meetings?

Pioneering businesses will seize the opportunities from aligning travel and meetings. A recent Fortune article described how Dropbox allowed employees to work fully remote and experienced record-high staff attrition. Dropbox then gave team leaders the means—including upping travel and expense budgets—to invest in high-quality, in-person internal meetings. Retention soared.

Travel Policy & Employee Experience

With travel and meetings driving the modern workforce, the related company policies are now central to the employee experience. In fall 2022, we got together with Cultique and research firm The Quorum to ask nearly 3,000 employees—and more than 2,000 employers—in Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., how travel policy changes could make a positive difference to their working lives.

We found policies that address wellbeing and enable travelers to incorporate personal time into business travel score highest among employees. A policy that allows employees to add personal travel to an existing trip resonated with 60 percent of respondents. Meanwhile, 61 percent wanted policy to support a mix of personal and work travel, allow extended stays and family members or significant others to join. On wellbeing, 54 percent of employees liked the sound of travel policies that help prioritize wellbeing, including ways to refresh and recharge while traveling.

It turns out that not only do employees feel these are good policies, but they also have a larger collective halo effect. Taken as a whole, these policies make employees feel as though their company cares about them: 68 percent of employers and 75 percent of employees said that it would.  Also, 71 percent of employers believe these strategies would add to the overall happiness among their employees and 70 percent of employees agreed. 

Reimagining the Role of Travel & Meetings

There is strong alignment between employees and employers about the benefits of travel polices centered on wellbeing, balance and individual choice. This can provide useful clues for making the business travel experience more rewarding and aligned with the values of a modern workforce. To complete the picture, it’s worth considering:

• Where is your workforce working right now? How many people are remote, hybrid or back full-time in the office? How do you expect this to change in the next 12 months?

• How well has your company’s travel policy kept pace with shifts in workplace culture?
  
  
• Are you part of the conversation about your company’s remote work policies with peers in other departments like HR, talent acquisition or learning and development? If not, how does this impact your travel program?
  
  
• Do you manage offsite team meetings as part of the corporate travel program? Or are these managed by another department?
• To what extent does your company's leadership recognize the need to protect and build company culture through travel? 

• Do you need to reevaluate the conversations you are having about travel demand, shifting from the conventional wisdom of “how much by when” to “what shape is travel demand taking” and what are the impacts and opportunities for managing the travel program? 

By asking these questions you can begin to reimagine the role of travel and meetings in your organization and connect travel into ongoing discussions around retaining and engaging the workforce. Yes, the day-to-day is often taken up with travel disruption and servicing issues. But these should not eclipse the opportunity to act now to make sure your travel policy is fit to power the modern workforce.

In 2023, we can accomplish this by expanding the scope of business travel to encompass savings, traveler experience and enabling a great employee experience.