So, it would seem that we are back in business, folks - the skies and roads are open for personal- and business travel once more! Naturally, this is fantastic news for companies around the globe that have been biting at the bit to expand operations and nurture business leads abroad. However, the employees who need to do all the travelling may have a few feelings about the whole thing…
For most people, COVID-19 was more than just a nuisance keeping them at home. Most got sick with the virus at least once, and everyone had lots of time to evaluate what is important to them, and, to a large extent, what scares them as well. As such, helping employees ease back into business travel is not only a kind thing to do; it should form part of any forward-thinking business strategy.
Here are a few steps to take that are likely to help your employees to journey with confidence as we navigate the post-pandemic space:After not travelling for such a long time, many people are reporting feeling a lot more tired out by the process. Jet lag lasts longer, prepping for a journey is more of an ordeal, etc. We all need to take a breather and allow ourselves some grace. So council your employees to pace themselves, and offer them the support services of a travel management company to assist if possible.
Businesses in the travel space are currently struggling to keep up with the demand for their services once more. Remember, many airlines, hotels, concierge services, etc. had to let people go during the pandemic, and are now in the process of onboarding new employees, etc. As such, things can fall between the cracks. Prepare on your end by leaving roomy planning margins, as well as travel margins - don’t schedule that important meeting for first thing after your flight is meant to land, for instance.
In the same way that many meetings could have been emails, there are also business trips that could have been Zoom calls. To ensure that your employees feel that their time and energy is being put to good use, get together as a team to evaluable the benefits of proposed trips.
For instance, team retreats, sensitive sales negotiations, and conferences with lots of network opportunities are good reasons to travel. On the other hand, quarterly check-ins with existing clients could probably be done via video chat, with an in-person visit once per year.
Now you know! We realise that this is a lot of information to keep straight, but we are here to help you do so while you take care of the other parts of your business that requires your attention. Find out more about our corporate travel-planning services, and contact us directly if you want to speak to a human to find out more about what we do at TravelManor and how we can assist you and your travelling employees to journey with confidence.
