Why employees don’t have equal opportunities for business travel

Business travel is back, but not everyone has the opportunity to partake. 

SAP Concur recently published findings from its annual Global Business Travel Survey which found that two-thirds of employees feel that business travel is critical for career advancement, yet just as many say they haven’t had equal opportunity to take business trips compared to their coworkers. 

WorkLife previously reported on just how important global travel is when it comes to career growth and learning opportunities. “It’s not something that is a nice to have,” Anna Potter, Continental’s head of global mobility services, the Americas hub, told us. “It’s a you-have-to-have-it. If you don’t have global experience, you can’t really be an effective global leader. There’s going to be a limitation there.”

SAP Concur’s report found that the percentage of people who feel like they don’t have an equal opportunity to take business trips compared to their colleagues went up four percentage points (62% to 66%) between this year and last, showing that these feelings aren’t subsiding.

So what is keeping some employees from having the opportunity to travel? The survey of nearly 4,000 business travelers in 24 markets attributes this opportunity inequity to their level of seniority (19%), their age (18%), their status as a parent or caretaker (14%), where they live (14%), their physical appearance (12%) and how often they come into the office (12%).

And certain reasons are slightly more of a factor for women than men, like age, status as a parent, and gender. More men say they’ve never felt that they didn’t have equal opportunity for business travel (38% vs. 29%).

“I think for younger folks especially, business travel is an opportunity both for life enrichment and career development,” said Jen Moyse, vp of product and head of UX at SAP Concur. “To find data in which a lot of travelers, not just by age, feel they may be held back from that kind of advancement is disheartening.”

“To find data in which a lot of travelers, not just by age, feel they may be held back from that kind of advancement is disheartening.”

Jen Moyse, vp of product and head of UX at SAP Concur.

Additionally, more LGBTQ+ business travelers feel they haven’t had equal opportunity because of their physical appearance (20% vs. 12% of the general population), disability (14% vs. 8%), and sexual orientation (20% vs. 7%).

A new survey from the World Travel Protection also found that the majority of business travelers (64%) express concern about traveling to a region known to be biased against or to criminalize people who identify as LGBTQ+. This research, which surveyed 1,000 business travelers, also found that relatively few employees (15%) reported that their company provides information on LGBTQIA+ rights in the countries they are visiting.

“It’s preparing those travelers to understand where they’re going, the risks they face, and then provide some basic guidance and tools to support them to make informed choices,” said Frank Harrison, regional security director, Americas at World Travel Protection.

So what can businesses do, both when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion for business travel and beyond? Moyse says that the first step is awareness.

“First and foremost, talk with your employees and ask them how do they feel about the company’s business travel plans,” said Moyse. “Do they feel like they have the opportunities that their coworkers have? If not, why? They can leverage their HR teams to talk about these workplace concerns.”

Businesses can also leverage the help of organizations like World Travel Protection, which provides guidance for minority groups for additional travel support to ensure safety, and beyond so groups traveling together can look out for one another.

“We approach it from the point of educating the businesses we work with with the same consistent information for all of your employees,” said Harrison. “If they’re going into a risk environment, support them in making their own choice. Conversely, if somebody says they don’t want to go because they don’t feel safe, then organizations must understand that they can’t take punitive action against individuals having concerns about personal safety.” 

“If somebody says they don’t want to go because they don’t feel safe, then organizations must understand that they can’t take punitive action against individuals having concerns about personal safety.” 

Frank Harrison, regional security director, Americas at World Travel Protection.

There are other ways to also ensure equal opportunity when it comes to business travel.

For example, GrowthScribe, a company that helps businesses increase revenue through automation, finance, and marketing acumen, has occasional anonymous application opportunities. Interested employees apply for business trips anonymously which “reduces bias and enables selection purely on the merits of their applications,” said Kartik Ahuja, founder and CEO.

“This, in turn, promotes healthy competition and motivates everyone to contribute better,” said Ahuja. “As a result, each employee has a fair shot at landing a chance to go on a business trip.”

The company also has a shadow program, used on rotation so everyone has an opportunity, where employees accompany managers and other senior leaders on business trips to learn and gain experience without needing to take on full responsibility. 

“Through this approach, they get hands-on experience managing various aspects of work such as preparing reports, conducting research, and understanding the intricacies of handling complex projects and large teams,” said Ahuja.