American management professor Anthony Klotz first coined the term the “Great Resignation” back in May last year after a record 4 million Americans quit their jobs in April 2021. And the phenomenon, which is now being seen around the world, is showing no signs of abating (in fact, the US saw another 4.5 million resignations in November 2021).  

COVID-19 has made people re-evaluate their working (and personal) lives, and in the words of Klotz, “how we spent our time before the pandemic may not be how we want to spend our time after”.

According to HuffPost founder Arianna Huffington, in quitting their jobs, “people are affirming their longing for a different way of working and living”. It’s a response to the pressures of commuting, work/life balance, stress and burnout. Put simply, many people would rather resign than return to the office on a full-time basis.

But is remote work all it’s cracked up to be? Well, it depends on who you ask.

Those who have established their careers, are able to work comfortably from home (complete with a private space and the necessary WFH tech), enjoy the flexibility and freedom to work from coffee shops or coworking spaces when they choose, not to mention travel when they can, will probably give remote working an enthusiastic thumbs up.

But for new graduates, with their foot on the very first rung, WFH is a lonely place to be. There’s no doubt that an office environment offers up more scope for interaction, learning and networking.

Marc Burrows, KPMG’s head of global mobility services (whose latest report gives long-term remote working a thumbs down) says that while remote working has been very functional, there are elements that are missing. Most importantly, it’s the ability to grow and nurture a culture of creativity, new ideas, interaction and diversity of thinking.

For Oz Desai, GM of Corporate Traveller, these shortcomings were highlighted by the pandemic’s impact on corporate travel.

“Predictably, as corporates grapple with issues around border closures, quarantine regulations, duty of care and what constitutes essential travel, business travel is taking longer to recover than leisure travel. And it’s having a very real effect on the growth, success and culture of organisations around the world.”

Desai believes that while, in principle, both employers and employees want to explore and embrace the flexibility of remote working, cracks are beginning to show.

“Remote workers quickly discovered that the boundaries between work life and home life were blurred during lockdown. It’s led to burnout – and this burnout is also contributing to the Great Resignation.”

Another problem? According to a Hubstaff Blog remote workers are more likely to look at WFH jobs as stepping stones or waypoints – and feel no guilt about moving on to new opportunities.  This might be because remote staff may not feel as deep a connection (or have stronger roots) as their office-bound counterparts – missing the camaraderie, culture, office friendships and mentoring opportunities of days gone by.

The Great Upgrade

“Interestingly,” says Desai, “The Great Resignation has also been referred to as the ‘Great Upgrade’. People are examining how they want to work and how they see their career path unfolding. They are hoping to create their ideal position – with plenty of scope for personal growth, balance and travel.”

For Desai, the biggest issue facing companies in 2022, alongside vaccine mandates and WFH policies, is the retention of talent.

“Business travel has always been a perk. It’s no different today. Younger generations want to travel and obtain international work as a part of their careers. Companies looking to attract the right talent will need increasingly progressive policies around hybrid work, working holidays and digital nomadism.”

Moving Forward

Desai believes that the 2022 working environment will look very different to the lockdown, WFH scenario we’ve all got accustomed to.

“Although people like the idea of working from home, we can expect a strong move back to the office – perhaps balancing remote work with a couple of days spent in the office for those positions that can accommodate it. Flexibility is now at the top of the agenda.”

Business travel will also look very different. “The sector’s recovery has been slow,” says Desai, “but according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), global business travel spend is set to surge in 2022, with spend ultimately reaching 2019 levels by 2024 – a full year earlier than previously predicted.

“And as it recovers you can expect changes too, think longer more meaningful trips, long-stay visas, built-in bleisure opportunities for shorter trips, team-building getaways and the like. This year business travel will be all about reconnection, collaboration – and reimagining a person’s role, growth and career opportunities.”

“Choosing the right accommodation can make or break your business trip,” says Andrew Grunewald, Flight Centre Business (FCBT) Travel Brand Leader. “Whether you are a seasoned road warrior or a first-time business traveller, the right place to stay will allow you to conduct business efficiently professionally, as even the smallest details can make a big difference.”

Grunewald explains that business travel has historically always been associated with traditional hotels, but over the past few years, there has been a slight shift as travellers seek a more relaxed environment in guesthouses and alternative forms of accommodation.

Here are a few points to consider when choosing between a hotel or a guest house on your next business trip:

Location trumps all

Location is the one factor that trumps all others when choosing the right place to stay for the vast majority of FCBT business travellers, according to Grunewald. “Business executives don’t want to waste time and money travelling to and from the venue or have to worry about running late to their next meeting,” he says.

Traditional hotels are often situated more strategically for business meetings than smaller guesthouses, which tend to be found in more suburban settings away from the bustling cities.

If business travellers have back-to-back meetings or an important conference to attend, a hotel close to the venue is without a doubt the best choice, says Grunewald. However, if the traveller has just one or two meetings and would then like to enjoy the destination at leisure on a bleisure extension, a guesthouse in the suburbs could be better suited.

Do you enjoy a more personalised approach?

A guesthouse is often like living as a guest in someone else’s house. Some travellers absolutely love it, others hate it.

A guesthouse is often a more personal and more local choice. Along with the owners of the house, you’ll typically find a small team of long-term staff members on-site who will not hesitate to go the extra mile to take care of the traveller’s needs and who will love to have a chat with you in the dining or breakfast room.

Hotels, on the other hand, come with larger teams of qualified staff that are well-trained to make sure you are treated like royalty 24/7. Hotels are ideal for business travellers who are short on time, with their grab-and-go retail snacks and coffee stations in the lobby. If late-night room service is a deal-breaker, stick to hotels.

Wi-Fi and on-site facilities

Fast WiFi alongside a mini-bar and room service is possibly one of the top reasons business travellers prefer to stay in hotels. However, many guesthouses are also stepping up these facilities. Ask your Flight Centre Business Travel travel manager for your best options.

Budget

Price is the number one reason why business travellers opt for guesthouses instead of hotels, according to FCBT travel managers.

However, price should never be the determining factor for your choice, says Grunewald. “By booking through a travel management company such as FCBT, corporates can enjoy discounted corporate rates without the volume of bookings usually required by hotel programmes. Moreover, FCBT’s SmartSTAY programme can bring with it additional ‘perks’ that make the traveller’s hotel stay more comfortable at no additional cost.”

Research has shown that companies that spend more on travel reap major rewards in terms of customer loyalty, employee satisfaction and market share. It is for this reason that FCBT has decided to launch a competition where small and medium businesses could win a R150 000 travel grant and take their business to new heights.”

How to stand a chance to win R150 000 worth of travel for your growing SME? 

1.   Go to www.flightcentrebusinesstravel.co.za/business-travelgrant   

2.   Check out the Travel Grant video for inspiration

3. Submit your motivation (maximum of 1000 words) with your answers to the questions below:

Question 1 –  What does travel mean to your business?

Question 2 –  What will this Travel Grant allow you to do?

It’s that simple! Entries close 18 October 2019

The final verdict: Hotel or guesthouse?

There is no clear-cut right or wrong answer, explains Grunewald, as much will depend on your personal preferences. At FCBT, we’ve seen that career-oriented Gen X travellers are more likely to opt for hotels whereas the younger millennials – who place a lot of importance on a healthy work-life balance – tend to prefer guesthouses.

Grunewald add that the distinction between hotels and guesthouses is also started to fade. Guesthouses are starting to step up the facilities that business travellers want, while many hotels have started to personalise their offering to encourage a more homely feel.

Flight Centre Business Travel has relationships in place with both hotels and guesthouses to ensure we can offer business travellers a variety of options at a range of costs. Contact your FCBT travel manager today to explore your accommodation options and see how you could stand a chance to win the FCBT Travel Grant worth R150 000.

Travel fosters creativity and inspiration. And when done correctly, travel for work purposes can also provide motivation and build company morale.

“Those are the four most commonly-named benefits, but the list continues,” says Andrew Grunewald, Flight Centre Business Travel (FCBT) Brand Leader. “There are numerous benefits for employees. Experienced business travellers know that they can earn airline loyalty points for each trip, for example, and experience new destinations.”

For companies, a recent study by Harvard Business Review shows that those who prioritise corporate travel benefit in terms of profitability, employee satisfaction, market share and customer loyalty.

B.box kids co-founder Danielle Michaels was quoted in Australian publication Smart Company as saying that digital communication has its place in the workplace, but not for everything. “Digital is great from a day to day perspective, but from a relationship perspective, face-to-face meetings are imperative,” she said, adding that her company had recorded a three-year revenue growth rate of 419 percent.

“Humans are creatures of habit, but they are also prone to boredom,” says an assessment of added travel benefits by Inc.com. “If you get fidgety doing the same thing every day, business travel can help keep things interesting. It’s one way to make sure the daily grind isn’t so ‘daily’ after all.”

Inc.com also counts tax benefits, passport stamps, new culinary experiences, and prioritising workouts into a travelling lifestyle as opportunities for individuals who travel for work.

However, Grunewald offers, many fledgeling businesses, focussed on costs, overlook the benefits of business travel. He points out that while it may appear costly at first glance, investing in travel can offer a big pay-off.

Grunewald explains that to leverage the benefits of business travel, the first step is to engage a Travel Management Company (TMC) that can assess your company needs.

A TMC like FCBT can for example offer convenient bleisure add-ons. “If business travellers are going away on a work trip, they might want to consider adding a few extra nights. ‘Bleisure’ travel maximises the traveller’s time away, and they can have a getaway at a fraction of the price,” suggests Grunewald.

The TMC will also assist businesses in implementing a travel policy that maximises savings and delivers personalised travel experiences that are good for the company and the employee.

“A good corporate travel policy will aim to keep the traveller’s needs in mind, with hotel and flight options that are convenient. With Flight Centre’s global buying power, SMEs benefit from rates properties usually reserved for high-volume customers. And, critically, travellers have access to 24-hour support if plans change,” he says.

“Without a process in place to manage business travel, companies miss the opportunity to control what they spend. Neglecting business travel could impact your bottom line more than you think,” Grunewald concludes.

Business travel is about more than meeting new prospects, closing sales deals, growing the top line, giving presentations, and strengthening client relationships. With the right support, business travellers can have immeasurable benefits for the travelling employee as well. By staying flexible, designing a smart strategy, and working with the right TMC, today’s organisations can make sure business travel is rewarding for everyone.

A popular buzzword, bleisure is the conscious decision by business travellers to add days of leisure travel onto a business trip. The concept has proven to be more than just a fad, as the vast majority of all business trips include some leisure components, according to the latest research.

The second annual ‘State of Business Travel Survey’ by National Car Rental shows that 90% of millennials have engaged in bleisure travel in the past year compared with 81% of Generation Xers and 80% of baby boomers.

According to SAP Concur travel and expense data, bleisure trips increased by 20% from 2016 to 2017. During this time, more than 2.2 million bleisure trips were taken by business travellers around the globe, making up 10% of total business trips.

“For the modern corporate who has seen the boundaries of work and personal life increasingly erode over the years, bleisure travel offers the possibility to build a little personal time into their business travel,” says Andrew Grunewald, Brand Leader Flight Centre Business Travel.

Grunewald adds that also for companies, bleisure travel has its advantages. If the traveller decides to arrive a few days early to explore the destination ahead of their meeting, they will be better rested and be able to make a better impression on the client. Meanwhile, if the business traveller chooses to prolong their stay, they will be incentivised to work more productively and efficiently.

According to the latest research, bleisure travellers report significantly higher levels of satisfaction with their quality of life compared to non-bleisure travellers (93 percent vs. 75 percent) as well as their work/life balance (87 percent vs. 64 percent).

FCBT has compiled a few best practices for South African bleisure travellers, so that they can make the most of their business travels in the year to come: 

1. Safety First!

Despite the vast majority of companies allowing a bleisure component to employee travel, almost a third (31%) do not extend the protection of their corporate travel risk policy to extra days or leisure time, according to the latest research.

A recent survey conducted by International SOS and CAPA (Centre for Aviation) revealed that nine out of ten people believe the responsibility for the leisure portion of business travel falls to the traveller. What’s more is that one in four organisations have not even considered bleisure in their travel policy.

“Speak to your Travel Management Company (TMC) for help on how to include bleisure travel into the travel policy and ensure your duty of care programme is a part of that,” says Grunewald. “It is important to be clear about whether the traveller is covered under the company policy ahead of their travels.”

• Leverage Public Holidays and Weekends

Try schedule meetings on a Monday or Friday so that you don’t need to take up too many leave days. Better still is if you can schedule your meeting ahead or after a public holiday. 2020 is the best year for this, as a great number of South African Public Holidays will fall on Monday or Friday.

If you can squeeze your business trip in ahead of a public holiday and weekend, you can easily get three days of traveling in a foreign country without losing a single paid holiday. Keep in mind that public holidays are usually associated with inflated flight and hotel costs, so be sure to book early and get a fair price that complies with your company’s travel policy.

Here’s a quick overview of next year’s calendar:

January

New Year’s Day (01 January) is on a Wednesday. You could schedule your business trip on 02 or 03 January, but it’s probably not the most productive time of the year for business deals.

April

Schedule your business trip ahead or after the Easter weekend,  and you could enjoy a lovely 4-day holiday at your destination.

Friday 10 April – Good Friday

Monday 13 April – Family Day

May

Friday 01 May – Worker’s Day

A meeting on 30 April or 02 May could see you spending a three-day weekend with your family or friends exploring a new destination ahead or after your business obligations.

June

Tuesday 16 June – Youth Day

If you’re lucky enough to be able to schedule your meetings on 15 June, you could enjoy three days in an exciting destination without having to take any holiday days. If you just take one day off and schedule meetings on Friday, 12 June or Wednesday 17 June, you’ll enjoy four days’ at leisure to explore the destination.

August

Monday 10 August – Women’s Day

Plan your meeting on Friday, 07 August or on Tuesday, 11 August, to enjoy the long weekend.

September

Thursday 24 September – Heritage Day

If you’re travelling internationally, try and plan your meetings on Friday 25 September so that you can enjoy three full days at leisure on destination.

If you’re travelling domestically, you might need to schedule your meeting on Wednesday 23 September, or Monday 28 September, as a lot of people will be taking advantage of the long weekend.

December

Wednesday 16 December – Reconciliation Day

Friday 25 December – Christmas Day

December is probably not the most popular or productive month for meetings in South Africa. However, if you are planning on meeting up with clients across the country, or the world, try and schedule your meeting on 14 or 15 December ahead of Reconciliation Day so that you can make the most of a very long weekend.

• Look beyond the horizon

A quarter of bleisure travellers say they will add another city to their business trip for leisure purposes.

If you’re on business in Brussels, for example, you can easily spend the weekend away in Amsterdam or Paris. Especially if your company is footing the bill for the long-distance flight, you can splurge on a train ride to visit another country.

• Take along your family or friends

Although not always possible, taking your family or friends along  is a great way to truly enjoy your bleisure trip. When dealing with FCBT who has the global backing of the Flight Centre Travel Group, you will benefit from having a range of ‘bleisure’ options available that can be added seamlessly into your booking.

• Keep tabs on your expenses

Can you charge that extra cocktail to your business expenses? Do you have a clear idea where the cut-off is between business and pleasure?

According to SAP Concur, it’s common for companies to cover all costs for the days their travellers are there for business as well as the round-trip flight, while the employee foots the bill for anything associated with their personal time off.

“Expense reporting can get difficult if you don’t define when business ends and leisure begins,” says Grunewald. “Turn to your TMC for guidelines on how to clearly separate the two in your company travel policy.”

• Don’t neglect your business obligations

Bleisure trips are great, but it can never come at the expense of your professional obligations. Remember that business is the reason you’re on this trip in the first place. Make sure you’re honest with your colleagues and boss if you’re planning to tack on some personal days.

The bleisure trend is definitely here to stay. With the increasing globalisation of business, the line between business and leisure travel will continue to blur. Chat to your Travel Management Company if you want to make the most of this trend in the year to come.

In this insert we take a closer look at the trend that is Bleisure…

‘Bleisure’ reflects a small, yet growing trend in business travel where business travellers combine business and leisure on one trip, either extending their business trip before or afterwards to explore the destination and sometimes bringing their family or spouse with.

It has been closely linked to worker productivity and job satisfaction and fueled by a global rise in:

● Digital nomads and self-starters
● ‘‘Third-Place’ working environments
● Need for better work/life balance

Although more prevalent among millennials, other generations are increasingly taking advantage of bleisure opportunities. The opportunity to take bleisure trips is also being touted as a recruitment and retention benefit for companies, helping reduce the normal wear and tear associated with frequent business travel.

Expedia describes these travellers as having high expectations of quality and comfort. They are also likely to only extend in destinations that offer good weather, a vibrant museum and arts scene, beaches and sightseeing locations.

To view the full trend report, click here or email Danica@bigambitions.co.za for more information.