A New Order: Business Travel,
Corporate Procurement and
Workspace in a Post-Pandemic World
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GBTAA New Order: Business Travel, Corporate Procurement and Workspaces in a Post-Pandemic World
Table of Contents
Introduction ............. p. 3
Key highlights ................ p. 4
Business travel programs today .............. p. 10
Travel program staffing ............. p. 12
Travel program structure and policies ............ p. 18
The new order: how companies work ............ p. 22
Methodology ................ p. 35
Respondent profile ............. p. 37
About GBTA ................ p. 41
About HRS .................. p. 42
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Introduction
To say the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted almost every facet of the global
economy is an understatement. Indeed, every country, business and person has
experienced a significant change in how people interact which in turn impacts
how people travel and how business is conducted. As there is no guide or
blueprint regarding how businesses should adjust policies and procedures during
a pandemic, companies across the globe have made changes to address new
challenges brought by the pandemic. As business travel is critical for countless
companies seeking to serve existing customers and clients, as well as generate
new revenue opportunities, how travel programs adjust policies to address the
challenges brought by the pandemic is essential to success and goal
achievement. The pandemic grounded almost all travel, particularly business
travel which is critical for many companies to generate revenue, maintain
customer relationships, develop employee skillsets and recruit talent. But as the
pandemic appears to wane and business travel resumes, questions arise
concerning what business travel will look like in the immediate future, including:
o Will business travel be reduced as many have grown accustomed to virtual
meetings and calls?
o What are the implications of the pandemic and lack of business travel
mean for how travel programs are run versus pre-pandemic?
o How have the roles and responsibilities of travel managers changed and
what do travel programs look like today?
o What has changed in terms of employee work life and office footprint?
o Are companies hiring more remote workers and are remote work
arrangements becoming the new norm?
o How have issues such as sustainability impacted travel programs and what
does it mean for the industry?
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This study explores how business travel looks in a post-pandemic
environment and what it means for workers and companies going forward.
It is based on a survey of North American and European travel managers —
including current and former members of GBTA — and addresses several key
questions including:
o Travel programs: Are travel managers busier than they were before the
pandemic? Which functions consume more time, and which consume
less? How much full-time staff do travel programs have? Are travel
programs smaller than they were pre-pandemic? Which functions do travel
programs handle in-house, and which do they outsource?
o Work norms and policies: Has work life changed as a result of the
pandemic? Have companies reduced their office footprint? Are they hiring
more remote workers? How often do companies rent coworking
space/flexible office space? Is coworking spend formally “managed?”
How is coworking/flexible office space booked?
Key Highlights
o The pandemic has impacted where employees work which has
impacted company office footprints. Two in three (67%) travel
managers anticipate a hybrid schedule where employees will come into the
office when the company fully reopens offices, but only one in ten
anticipate employees will work entirely remotely (10%) or entirely in the
office (9%). This might explain why two in five (40%) travel managers
report their company’s office footprint is smaller than it was three years
ago (i.e., pre-pandemic). Slightly less than half (47%) of travel managers
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say their office footprint is the same as it was compared to three years
ago.
o Most travel managers say they have full-time employees based in a
city where the company does not have a physical office. Four in five
(81%) travel managers say their company has at least a “minor
percentage” of full-time employees based in cities where the company
does not have an office. In fact, one-third (34%) say their company has a
“moderate” or “significant” percentage of employees working remotely. In
addition, two in five (39%) travel managers say a larger percentage of their
full-time new hires are fully remote. However, over half (57%) say it
remains to be seen if their company’s remote work policy is permanent or
temporary (compared to 36% who say the policy is permanent), indicating
many companies continue to evaluate their remote work policies.
o Some companies allow remote employees to rent coworking/flexible
office space. Two thirds (65%) of travel managers say renting flexible
workspaces is not permitted, but an additional quarter (28%) report it is
“occasionally” permitted. In addition, programs that at least occasionally
permits remote workers to rent coworking spaces, two in five travel
managers say the arrangement is only “somewhat managed,” but one-third
(31%) are unsure how the flexible workspace is addressed in the travel
program (if at all). The benefits of managing coworking/flexible office
spend can include cost savings, improved policy compliance and duty of
care, richer data, and more efficient processes including payment and
expense reporting.
o Remote work arrangements are largely perceived as having notable
benefits including boosting productivity, employee morale and talent
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