Business travel is back, but not everyone has the opportunity to participate.
SAP Concur recently released the results of its annual Global Business Travel Survey, which revealed that two-thirds of employees believe business travel is essential to advancing their careers, but just as many A significant number of them say they have not had the same opportunities to travel for business as their colleagues.
WorkLife has already noted the importance of global travel for career advancement and learning opportunities. “It’s not a nice-to-have,” Anna Potter, head of global mobility services at Continental’s Americas hub, told us. “You have to have it. If you don’t have international experience, you can’t really be an effective global leader. There’s going to be a limitation there.”
The SAP Concur report finds that the percentage of people who feel they don’t have the same opportunities as their colleagues to travel for business increased by four percentage points (62% to 66%) between this year and last year. last, which shows that these feelings do not subside.
So what’s stopping some employees from traveling? The survey of nearly 4,000 business travelers in 24 markets attributes this inequality of opportunity to their seniority (19%), age (18%), whether they are a parent or guardian (14%), where they live (14%), their physical appearance (12%) and how often they come into the office (12%).
Some reasons weigh slightly more heavily on women than men, such as age, parental status and gender. More men say they have never had the feeling of not benefiting from the same opportunities when it comes to business travel (38% versus 29%).
“I think for young people in particular, business travel represents an opportunity for life enrichment and career development,” said Jen Moyse, vice president of product and user experience leader at SAP Concur. “It’s disheartening to find data where many travelers, not just because of their age, feel like they’re being held back from that type of advancement.”
“It is disheartening that many travelers, not just because of their age, feel they are being prevented from benefiting from these types of advancements. »
Additionally, more LGBTQ+ business travelers feel they have not had equal opportunities because of their physical appearance (20% vs. 12% of the general population), disability (14% vs. 8%), and sexual orientation (20% vs. 12% of the general population). 7%).
A new study from World Travel Protection also found that the majority of business travelers (64%) are concerned about traveling to a region known to be biased or criminalize people who identify as LGBTQ+. The study, which surveyed 1,000 business travelers, also found that relatively few employees (15%) said their company provides information about LGBTQIA+ rights in the countries they visit.
“It’s about preparing these travelers to understand where they’re going, the risks they face, and then providing them with basic guidance and tools to help them make informed choices,” said Frank Harrison, regional director security for the Americas at World Travel Protection.
So what can companies do, both when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion in business travel and beyond? Moyse says the first step is awareness.
“First, talk to your employees and ask them what they think about the company’s business travel plans,” Moyse said. “Do they feel like they have the same opportunities as their colleagues? If not, why? They can call on their HR teams to talk about these concerns in the workplace. »
Businesses can also benefit from help from organizations such as World Travel Protection, which provides advice to minority groups for additional assistance when traveling to ensure safety, and beyond so that groups traveling together can look after each other.
“We approach this with the goal of educating the companies we work with with the same consistent information for all of your employees,” Harrison said. “If they find themselves in a risky environment, help them make their own choice. Conversely, if someone says they don’t want to go because they don’t feel safe, then organizations need to understand that they can’t take punitive action against individuals who are concerned about their personal safety.”
“If someone says they don’t want to go because they don’t feel safe, then organisations need to understand that they can’t take punitive action against people who are concerned about their personal safety.”
There are other ways to ensure equal opportunities in business travel.
For example, GrowthScribe, a company that helps businesses grow revenue through automation, finance, and marketing insight, occasionally offers anonymous application opportunities. Interested employees apply for business travel anonymously, which “reduces bias and allows for selection based solely on the merits of their application,” said Kartik Ahuja, founder and CEO.
“This in turn promotes healthy competition and motivates everyone to contribute better,” Ahuja said. “As a result, every employee has a fair chance of getting the chance to go on a business trip.”
The company also has a job shadowing program, used on a rotating basis so everyone has an opportunity, where employees accompany managers and other senior executives on business trips to learn and gain experience without having to assume full responsibility.
“Through this approach, they gain hands-on experience in managing various aspects of the job such as preparing reports, conducting research and understanding the intricacies of managing complex projects and large teams,” Ahuja said.
