Younger workers and women feel shut out of business travel opportunities

Business travel is up and running again after practically grinding to a halt just a few years ago. 

Despite the usual annoyances like delayed flights to charmless hotels, employees in general seem eager to get back on the road. Around 67% of workers who travelled three or more times in the past two years believe that business travel is important for their career growth, according to a global survey of 3,750 business travelers, from SAP Concur. But many employees also believe they’re not given equal travel access to the opportunity. 

Younger workers are more likely to believe business travel is important for their career progression compared to older generations, but they’re also most likely to say they’re being held back. Around 19% of people chalk up their a dearth of travel opportunities to a lack of seniority, and another 18% boil it down to their age, according to the report. 

Around 14% believe they don’t get the chance to travel because they’re caretakers, and another 11% of people say it comes down to their gender. Broken down further, those numbers show that women more often feel they don’t have the same opportunities compared to their male counterparts. 

When it comes to addressing challenges to corporate travel programs in general, SAP recommends employers advises three basic steps. First, connect with employees to see where the pain points are, and ask if they feel like they have the same opportunity to take b usiness trips compared to their coworkers. Second, act on those insights; make sure that employees have the right tools they need to travel successfully. And third, get help from outside resources if necessary.

Paige McGlauflin
[email protected]
@paidion

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Watercooler

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Strike deal. Canadian airline giant WestJet reached a deal with its mechanics to end a strike that caused more than 820 flight cancellations between Thursday and Monday. —AP

Vacation deprivation. Despite getting nearly two-and-a-half times more PTO than Americans, German and French workers are more likely to feel deprived of a vacation than their U.S. counterparts, according to a new study.  —Prarthana Prakash

Keys to resilience. Prudential Financial CEO Charles Lowrey says these four components are key to a resilient company: Invest in great talent, ensure all employees believe in a North Star, understand their role in the company and fulfilling its purposes, and support employees such as with benefits and perks. —Fortune CEO Initiative