Business Travel March-April-2021

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ARRIVALS UP FRONT THE KNOWLEDGE How to... reimagine your business travel Like companies all over the world, Willis Towers Watson has been rethinking its workplace in light of the pandemic and quickly recognised that the changes would also require a reimagining of its business travel. THE BACKGROUND Willis Towers Watson, a global advisory, broking and solutions company, has 45,000 employees of whom 28,000 were travelling pre-pandemic. Much of that travel was US domestic, intra Europe and intra Asia, with frequent travel between London and New York and other key financial hubs. The company’s 2019 T&E spend was around $250 million. Three years ago it consolidated its travel to American Express GBT in 50 countries. An internal review of the company’s workplace had already identified a shift in the role of the office from a place to work to a place to meet. Collaborating closely with colleagues leading this project, Procurement Director Emma Jones set up a team to embark on a simultaneous review of the company’s approach to business travel. THE PROCESS Starting from the place of zero travel, they engaged with colleagues from across different parts of the business and across the company’s global offices to gain an understanding of why they were travelling, how frequently, and how that travel impacted the success of the business. “We needed to identify those in-person interactions that drive the greatest returns and add value back into the business and those If the appetite isn't there, and the timing isn't right, you're not going to achieve the level of buy-in you need” which could be done virtually with no impact on revenue,” says Jones. “We also needed to consider what the impact of any travel would have on colleague wellbeing, our cost base and sustainability, with a reduction in CO2 one of the main objectives.” The key to all of this, she explains, was to truly understand “the business of our business” by identifying the different functions and personas within the company and understanding how and why they interact. At the same time, Jones and her team consulted with their TMC and buyer focus groups to gauge what approach other businesses were taking and also adopted elements of a Purposeful <strong>Travel</strong> Framework being developed by consultants Festive Road. THE CHALLENGE “It’s always critical to have advocates to help drive your message forward. The earlier you can have conversations to explain and spread the message the better," says Jones. "We probably would have liked to have started those conversations a bit earlier and, in hindsight, we could have engaged with more people, for sure. The timing is absolutely crucial.” Jones admits she was lucky because she was able to “almost piggy back” on to the work being done on the return to office, which already had strong stakeholder engagement. “We were able to take some of this narrative and mould and adapt it. But if the appetite isn’t there, and the timing isn’t right, you’re not going to achieve the level of buy-in you need.” THE RESULT It’s still a work in progress, but the ultimate goal is to establish a clear set of guidelines that appeal to all of the business segments, shaping how people will interact - both internally and externally - and making it completely transparent for managers, budget holders and colleagues to recognise what permissible travel will look like. “As the value of travel becomes more visible as an enabler to the success of the business, the travel team naturally becomes an adviser to the business,” adds Jones. “It changes the dynamic quite considerably and there is a huge opportunity for the travel management function to be elevated.” 8 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
Think you know serviced apartments? Available via GDS and corporate booking tools Book for just 1 night, 1 week or 1 year Stunning design-led interiors APARTHOTELS Think again. At Native, we’ve revolutionised the aparthotel experience. Get in touch or visit the Native website to find out how. tellmemore@nativeplaces.com www.nativeplaces.com/native-on-business Stay Safe. Stay Original. Stay Native.
Page 1 and 2: 84 March/April 2021 BRIGHTER HORIZO
Page 3 and 4: UP FRONT Contents MARCH-APRIL 2021
Page 5 and 6: Welcome Spring into action Whether
Page 7: UP FRONT SPEAKING OUT We have come
Page 11 and 12: THE NEWS REVIEW T H E B U S I N E S
Page 13 and 14: THE NEWS REVIEW T H E B U S I N E S
Page 15 and 16: TRAVEL MANAGEMENT CoMPANIES Y O U R
Page 17 and 18: Introduction / TMCs TIME out The bu
Page 19 and 20: Introduction / TMCs 38% said they e
Page 21 and 22: Covid response / TMCs THEBUSINESSTR
Page 23 and 24: Traveller safety & cost control? Ye
Page 25 and 26: Consolidation / TMCs Size is no gua
Page 27 and 28: Strike a balance Do you spend every
Page 29 and 30: The 2020 Directory / TMCs Business
Page 31 and 32: The 2020 Directory / TMCs Business
Page 33 and 34: Fees / TMCs Underlying health condi
Page 35 and 36: Good Good Travel Travel Management
Page 37 and 38: A lot is changing in business trave
Page 39 and 40: taxis GrOUnd and transPOrt transfer
Page 41 and 42: Eco solution Go Electric. Operate y
Page 43 and 44: WELLBEING POSITIVE thinking As comp
Page 46 and 47: ACCOMMODATION Rise and SHINE Four e
Page 48 and 49: ACCOMMODATION home-cooked food, an
Page 50 and 51: DEPARTURES Reality check FLIGHT: QA
Page 52: Save the date SEPTEMBER 14-15, 2021

Business Travel March-April-2021

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?