Earlier this year, the team at 3Sixty noted three corporate travel trends we expected to see take off this year. Today, we’re revisiting those trends and looking at how companies can maximize them for higher employee satisfaction and productivity on the road.

Trend #1: The “Linger Longer” effect

One of the biggest trends that continues to sweep the corporate world this year is longer business trips - the “linger longer” effect, as recently coined by hotel giant Accor. A recent Accor poll amongst travelers in Northern Europe suggested that 1 in 10 planned to extend their holiday in 2022 by working abroad, demonstrating that the trend is very much here to stay - and there are lots of ways to maximize this trend as a company.

• Combine several client meetings into one longer trip Rather than sending employees on short trips to meet one client at a time, try to combine them. If you’ve got three clients in New York and are based in Florida, for example, aim to schedule their meetings across the same week. Allow employees to travel for the whole week, rather than jetting back and forth over one or two months.

• Promote bleisure trips There are a few benefits of promoting bleisure trips to employees. More business travelers want to travel for longer and mix business with leisure - so allowing them to extend their trips will likely result in happier employees and higher retention rates. Secondly, bleisure trips are better for your company’s carbon offset! The less employees are jetting back and forth, the better for both the environment and your business image.

Trend #2: Tech continues to lead the way

As predicted, the business travel and global mobility industry are incorporating more tech into the relocation journey. Whether it’s smart features in employee accommodation or advanced booking platforms to streamline operations on the travel buyer’s end, we’re continuing - as predicted - to see tech use accelerate throughout 2022. GBTA recently found that almost all travel programs (96%) use an online booking tool (OBT), making it the most common technology component of a travel program. How can your company maximize this trend?

• Create a seamless booking experience for employees
  Today, employees expect tech-forward fast, safe and efficient travel experiences. Start with the booking process - but go one step further than the traditional tools available. An employee accommodation marketplace like 3Sixty is specifically designed to make the booking process as seamless as possible for both employees and travel managers, providing a list of vetted, compliant accommodations available in global locations. Employees can choose their preferred accommodation from a list of pre-approved options on a simple user-friendly interface, and travel managers can book and manage stays with a few easy clicks - a win-win for both parties.

• Choose smart accommodation On the topic of employee housing, choosing ‘smart’ accommodation is one way to meet the tech travel trend - and it’s not just employees who will benefit from features such as AI voice assistants, fast wifi and smart locks. These smart technologies can help improve productivity and keep employees safe while away - two crucial elements for a successful business trip. Prioritize accommodation with smart features to keep employees satisfied, safe and productive.

Trend #3: Duty of care means going above and beyond now

The pandemic cast a spotlight on duty of care and the responsibilities of employers when it comes to business travelers’ health, safety and wellbeing. With business travel grinding to a halt in the midst of the pandemic, it’s important to consider employees may be anxious to travel again - and with the emphasis on duty of care only growing, there are a few things you can do as a company.

• Refresh your duty of care program Now more than ever it’s important to revisit your company’s duty of care program, ensuring the right protocols and measures are in place to protect the safety and wellbeing of employees. Not only will stricter and more transparent protection plans give employees greater confidence to travel, it will also provide your company peace of mind that you've taken the right steps to keep employees safe on the road. Go through updated travel policies with employees and provide them with a space to ask questions and address any concerns they may have.

• Invest in employee training There’s only so much you can control when it comes to business travel - so why not give employees the tools and resources they need to ensure they stay as safe as possible on the road? Whether it’s general health and safety training, advice on relocating to different countries or business meeting etiquette, make sure employees feel confident and comfortable hitting the road again. This will likely result in smoother relocations, more productive business meetings and - ultimately - happier employees.

Key takeaways

Keeping up with the latest trends sweeping the business travel industry isn’t the easiest of tasks, but utilizing them where possible to improve employee satisfaction and productivity is key. With the option for longer business trips, a refreshed duty of care program and the latest accommodation-booking tech, we’re confident your employees will be eager to travel - and they’ll more than likely thank you for it!

3Sixty 3Sixty, the business travel industry’s most secure and intuitive accommodation platform, helps employees to book and manage their stay in over one million quality, cost-effective rooms and properties around the world.