“From an employee well-being perspective, organisations have tended to structure their corporate wellness programmes towards the fixed office / site worker but, with an increasing number of remote and hybrid workers, this is an ideal opportunity to revaluate provisions outside of the traditional workplace,” Reed & Mackay Advisory Team Senior Associate Aman Pourkarimi explains.
“People feel the most stressed in situations they’re unfamiliar with or feel they cannot control. Having spent the best part of two years isolated at home, business trips in the post-pandemic world is a lifestyle for which many are still unprepared. They're back to sleeping in different hotels, managing complex schedules of normal activities and the trip's purpose, all within different time zones, while dealing with inevitable transport delays. And, if travellers are required to do this even more, these considerations need to be applied to travel policy.”
Ensuring traveller wellbeing is a key focus will then impact the way companies report on the success of a travel programme, Reed & Mackay COO and CEO Europe Julie Oliver believes. “Organisations will begin to look at different metrics, particularly around wellbeing,” she says. “We’re considering how we can support our clients with this, by looking at reporting holistically rather than being solely outcome focused.”