With the global pause in travel brought on by the Covid-19
pandemic has come a growing tide of questions around the sustainability of
business travel. New research shows 75 per cent of employees want to reduce
their reliance on air travel for business because of the perceived impact on
the environment, but nearly the same amount (74 per cent) of employers will continue
asking staff to fly for work trips as restrictions ease, revealing a divide
between staff and companies.
A survey of 1,000 UK-based regular business travellers and
1,000 employers by Trainline Partner Solutions (TPS) found that as restrictions
ease and work trips begin again, 66 per cent of employees expect their employer
to make sustainable travel options available to them. More than half (53 per
cent) said they felt businesses were irresponsible before the pandemic with the
level of unnecessary business travel undertaken.
Shockingly, 31 per cent of employee respondents said they
felt they had to fly for work trips or would risk losing their job.
However, TPS says the data from its research shows the
tables have turned and failure to offer sustainable travel options will become
a major issue for employers.
As many as 71 per cent of travellers said they believe
businesses that do not offer sustainable alternatives set a bad example for
future generations. Furthermore, one in five 16 to 24-year-olds surveyed said
they would consider leaving a job if their employer did not have a sustainable
business travel policy in place. In fact, 34 per cent of those polled said such
a policy is a key indicator of how sustainable a company is, along with use of
green energy (41 per cent) and recycling policies (41 per cent). Nearly
three-quarters (73 per cent) want their employer to provide clear information about
the impact of required business travel.
Employers have seemingly fallen behind expectations when it
comes to sustainable business travel, though improvements are being made, with
64 per cent of companies surveyed now offering more environmentally friendly
options compared to 18 months ago. However, 69 per cent admitted employees were
asked to fly unnecessarily before the pandemic and as mentioned above, 74 per
cent will still expect workers to fly in the future.
While three in five businesses said staff are increasingly
asking tough questions about the sustainability of their travel policy, only 64
per cent have a clear programme in place for reducing the environmental impact
of their company’s travel activity. However, the vast majority of leaders (89
per cent) agree that sustainable business travel is vital for their employer
brand.
Interestingly, of those companies without a policy in place,
45 per cent said they have struggled to hire staff since the pandemic.
The research comes as the Business Travel Association prepares to benchmark the business travel industry against the UN's Sustainable Development goals.