Spend management company, Emburse, recently released the findings of its latest survey aimed at understanding current attitudes toward building back business travel post-pandemic. A survey of 1,022 U.K. employees and 250 employers focused on questions around business travel and sustainability. The data revealed the demand from employees for more sustainable business travel, compared with a lack of prioritization from employers.
With regard to changing travel choices, nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of those surveyed said that the pandemic has made them rethink how they travel. Almost half (48 percent) of those aged 16 to 24 said they would be using the train more than before the pandemic, more than double the amount of employees aged 55 and above (20 percent).
COVID safety weighs in as the most important factor for over a third (34 percent) for employers to consider right now for business travel arrangements. Cost is the second most important factor, with 17 percent of employers listing this as an important consideration. Only one in nine (11 percent) employers list sustainability as a factor, with other most important factors being efficiency (13 percent) and shortest journey (9 percent).
With regard to sustainability and increased travel budgets, half (50 percent) of employers responded that they would consider offering employees incentives or a higher travel budget threshold to take the train in order to reduce the company’s overall carbon footprint. A high percentage (70 percent) of employers surveyed acknowledge it is their organization’s responsibility to enable sustainable business travel.
The majority of those surveyed (57 percent) said that they would be more encouraged to take the train if their employer offered incentives around it. Almost half of travelers (49 percent) said they agree that they choose the most eco-friendly mode of transport for a trip, with one-fifth (21 percent) disagreeing with the statement.
On the cost versus sustainability issue, the top three approaches to sustainable trips included cutting down number of trips (35 percent), combining trips (25 percent) and minimizing air travel (22 percent). Almost a third of travelers (30 percent) said they would choose a more expensive trip in order to be traveling more sustainably.
Source: Emburse
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