The Great Resignation: what does this mean for corporate travel?

The opportunity to earn more money, work flexibly, and receive greater benefits tempted over 13 million Americans to quit their jobs between September and November 2021. This trend isn’t expected to go away anytime soon, with the 2022 Job Market Report showing 68% plan to leave their current employment over the next 12 months. 

Boomers are the leading generation of this shift, as they make up over two-thirds of those who have left the workforce since the movement began. It’s for this reason that some believe the Great Resignation could last as long as eight years to complete the cycle of boomers being replaced by Gen Z fully entering the workforce. 

Employers urgently need to reevaluate company culture and employee benefits to retain and attract the talent that propels their businesses forward. As a benefit valued by many employees, corporate travel is more important than ever. So, how can you use it to survive the Great Resignation?

Proven ways to boost employee engagement with corporate travel 

1. Regular business trips 

There’s no doubt employees value traveling as part of their careers. The younger generations, Millennials and Gen Z, have even said they’d refuse a job offer that didn’t include traveling. Boost employee loyalty and attract new talent to your business by offering regular corporate trips as part of employee packages.

Any company can offer low-budget business trips, but these aren’t enough to encourage employees to stay loyal. Bad experiences during business travel could even be a deterrent. What’s important is the quality of the business trips you offer. So, give guests the best experiences by booking them in quality-assured employee housing that makes them feel comfortable and secure. 

Other things to consider for creating a great travel experience when booking employee accommodation are wellness opportunities, space to separate work from leisure, and home-like features such as a kitchen or cozy couch. 

2. Employee benefits 

Worker expectations of employee benefits are higher than ever before, with over half admitting they’d leave their current role for a lower-paying job with a better benefits package. Many are aware of the short-lived satisfaction of salary increase incentives. So, to keep your employees happy, reevaluate what they value most. 

Maybe family time is a priority, or they want to explore the world. Find out what matters most to each individual and incorporate their needs into their business trip. For example, if an employee is going to be staying overseas for an extended period of time you could allow their family to travel with them. This can boost happiness and reduce feelings of homesickness, which increases their desire to travel for the company and can lead to higher productivity and engagement. 

Being open to the idea of employees turning corporate trips into bleisure trips is another guaranteed way to appeal to employees, especially Millennials and Gen Z. 

3. Flexible working 

The hottest trends of the past year continue to influence how people are living and working. The remote working demand is not set to fade, in fact, 45% of employees would quit if asked to work in the office full-time this year. 

Work flexibility has opened up a whole new way of life for many and they don’t want to give this up. Almost two-thirds see work flexibility as the second top benefit that employees can offer. 

So, keep this in mind when creating your travel plan for employee trips. Ways to offer flexibility include: allowing employees to make some of the travel decisions, giving them extra days to explore the destination, letting them work around other engagements, and choosing working hours. 

How smart accommodations stay efficient despite low staffing

You can rest assured your employees will still receive the best guest experience while staying in quality-assured employee housing, despite the increase in employee resignations. Thanks to smart home technology adopted by the travel industry, many tasks are now automated to improve efficiency and reduce dependence on staff. 

Contactless solutions like direct keyless check-ins allow guests to enter properties without the need to wait at a reception desk. Guest services and automated communication tech are programmed to answer queries 24 hours a day, so your employee has support wherever they are in the world. Booking platforms, such as 3Sixty, give you access to these top serviced apartments and employee accommodations that use automated hospitality technology. 

Key takeaways

The recovery of the employment market is uncertain, but you can ease this uncertainty by creating great travel opportunities and benefits to retain employees. Boost loyalty by giving employees what they really want, and the competition won’t get a look in. 

3Sixty

3Sixty is a state-of-the-art marketplace that reduces the noise in extended-stay travel.

Our HomeMatch™ technology leverages machine learning and human expertise to curate quality, cost-effective housing where your employees feel safe, comfortable, and at peace.