per cent hope to better understand a new culture and its business
impact. With these benefits in mind, business travel is now also
viewed for its importance to the individual employee, and not just
the organization.
THE MODERN OFFICE HAS BRED THE MODERN
BUSINESS TRAVELLER
That business travel is no longer seen purely within these param-eters
is reflective of the fact that modern ways of working have
evolved, in large part due to the role of technology. The rise of
mobile communications and savvy technology has enabled in-dependence
and freedom for employees across many industries.
Employees today are empowered with responsibility for their own
schedules – with 61 per cent of employers now sponsoring a flex-ible
work system – and therefore the focus for many businesses is
on employee productivity as opposed to desk time.
This has initiated a shift in organizational business culture from
more formal, deskbound set-ups towards flexible ways of working
– be that at home or on the road for business travel. This indepen-dence
has also meant that employees who travel for business often
plan and book their own business travel. Online tools mean em-ployees
can seamlessly book and manage their own arrangements,
quickly and simply, from anywhere. Similarly, any time outside
of business meetings on a corporate trip was previously seen as
“dead” time. However, today’s business traveller looks to plan their
own time to not only meet essential commitments, but tailor trips
to their own professional priorities and goals. Outside of busi-ness
meetings, business travellers are looking for opportunities to
boost their business acumen, enlarge their business circles by net-working
or gain inspiration for creative ideas. In this way, business
travel has become an important and transformative experience for
accelerating one’s career.
BUSINESS TRAVEL AS AN EXTENSION
OF LIFESTYLE
In many ways, business travel and leisure travel have become in-creasingly
similar in terms of their value to the traveller and the
way people approach travel options, accommodation and usage
of time. Just as leisure travel is often linked to wellbeing and ful-filment,
business travel is now seen as time to be capitalized on
and made the most of. Business travellers today are taking ad-vantage
of opportunities to explore and are even extending their
trips to soak up new destinations and pursue leisure activities
that align with their interests. Even the busiest of professionals
with schedule pressures opt to extend business trips for lei-sure
– nearly a quarter of professionals globally often do this,
according to research. The tendency to extend a business trip
can be linked to the fact that employees are having to travel fur-ther
than ever before for business meetings in an increasingly
globalized marketplace.
BUSINESS TRAVEL IS THE KEY TO
PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS
Yet, business travel is not merely seen as a way to experience new
places. Sixty per cent of professionals globally agree that experi-encing
new cultures and destinations adds value to their job. In
this way, business travel enhances job satisfaction and enriches
one’s career. It is also the case that business travel can improve em-ployees’
ability to do their job well, with over half of professionals
globally (51 per cent).
It is clear that there has been a steep change in attitudes towards
business travel, largely due to the rise of modern mobile work. n
Ripsy Bandourian is the senior director of product development
for Booking.com.
talent management
PhotonCatcher / Shutterstock.com
BUSINESS TRAVELLERS TODAY
ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE
AND ARE EVEN EXTENDING
THEIR TRIPS TO SOAK UP NEW
DESTINATIONS AND PURSUE
LEISURE ACTIVITIES THAT ALIGN
WITH THEIR INTERESTS.
34 ❚ FEBRUARY 2018 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
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