Less Corporate Travel Long Term?

[JB expat]

Those of you who work for large companies which typically have a hefty travel expense line item - have you received any subtle (or direct) messaging that they like the expense savings so much that they are going to be much stricter about who travels/how often, when COVID-19 is not a concern?

 

[openseat]

My work is really starting to suffer because of the online meetings. A lot of the parts of the world where we work depend on personal contact and building up relationships. We are finding that there is a lot of drift happening and loss of focus. Online meetings tend to evoke an 'everything is fine here' attitude that is at odds with reality. This is besides the economic impact.

 

[Hvr]

So it means different skills are needed. Directed and controlled conversations with pre-planning on what outcomes you require will 'focus' people.

 

[coyote25]

I only do work travel within Australia. I expect some corporate travel will restart at some point especially when working with the financial services industry but ‘internal’ company travel will stay very low for a few years as we have gotten use to Webex and other technologies. While their have big drawbacks especially to this, especially when developing projects and deliverables, we have slowly worked out how to draw people into creative conversations.

Last work travel was in January 2020.

 

[jakeseven7]

My work is really starting to suffer because of the online meetings. A lot of the parts of the world where we work depend on personal contact and building up relationships. We are finding that there is a lot of drift happening and loss of focus. Online meetings tend to evoke an 'everything is fine here' attitude that is at odds with reality. This is besides the economic impact.

This is so so true.

We are finding our teams are starting to drift apart now, people are less invested, less caring.

Still getting the work done but missing that extra effort and energy. People are completely mute in meetings now, very little interaction, creativity.

Smaller 1-1 meetings work but larger meetings are 'tumbleweed' zero interaction.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I only do work travel within Australia. I expect some corporate travel will restart at some point especially when working with the financial services industry but ‘internal’ company travel will stay very low for a few years as we have gotten use to Webex and other technologies. While their have big drawbacks especially to this, especially when developing projects and deliverables, we have slowly worked out how to draw people into creative conversations.

I would like to see more of this.

I hope the *need* for 15-minute flight frequencies between MEL-SYD is gone for good. It's bad for the environment, and who is really so pressed for time they can't adjust a schedule by 15 minutes?

 

[openseat]

This is so so true.

We are finding our teams are starting to drift apart now, people are less invested, less caring.

Still getting the work done but missing that extra effort and energy. People are completely mute in meetings now, very little interaction, creativity.

Smaller 1-1 meetings work but larger meetings are 'tumbleweed' zero interaction.

This is the situation for us in Aus/NZ and other developed countries.

In developing countries, however, it is much worse. When English is the third spoken language, computer skills are only recently learned and internet connections are poor, it becomes much worse. It of course is a problem of interculturality as well - and this is the important part of face to face meetings - learning the other's culture so as to improve the working relationship.

 

[UP4014]

While business travel will of course be slow, where I am the need for travel is coming back, I've had a staff member visit SA from NSW 3 times recently and they decided to drive there over a couple of days rather than fly. I am considering a visit to SA as well from Sydney and am undecided on flying or driving, I'll probably fly, but that increases the risk of becoming sick.

 

[jakeseven7]

While business travel will of course be slow, where I am the need for travel is coming back, I've had a staff member visit SA from NSW 3 times recently and they decided to drive there over a couple of days rather than fly. I am considering a visit to SA as well from Sydney and am undecided on flying or driving, I'll probably fly, but that increases the risk of becoming sick.

The risk was of contracting covid while flying was last estimated as 1 in 26 million from memory, so definitely buy a lotto ticket if you are worried

 

[Beano]

I thought entry to SA needed 14 days quarantine.

 

[UP4014]

The risk was of contracting covid while flying was last estimated as 1 in 26 million from memory, so definitely buy a lotto ticket if you are worried

The frequency might be low, however the consequences of contracting covid are nothing like the consequences of winning lotto.

From MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) based on short haul flights in the US on aircraft configured with three seats on either side of the aisle, such as the Airbus 320 and the Boeing 737 -- and assuming everyone is wearing a mask -- the risk of catching the virus on a full flight is just 1 in 4,300. Those odds fall to 1 in 7,700 if the middle seat is vacant. What's your source on the above, interested to know where that stat comes from.

Post automatically merged: Oct 15, 2020

I thought entry to SA needed 14 days quarantine.

Not any more, you need to register, what you're doing, where you're going and staying etc.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The frequency might be low, however the consequences of contracting covid are nothing like the consequences of winning lotto.

From MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) based on short haul flights in the US on aircraft configured with three seats on either side of the aisle, such as the Airbus 320 and the Boeing 737 -- and assuming everyone is wearing a mask -- the risk of catching the virus on a full flight is just 1 in 4,300. Those odds fall to 1 in 7,700 if the middle seat is vacant. What's your source on the above, interested to know where that stat comes from.

Post automatically merged: Oct 15, 2020

Not any more, you need to register, what you're doing, where you're going and staying etc.

I think the ‘1 in 26 million’ came from IATA... they took the total number of passengers carried since covid, which was like 1.2 billion, and divided it by the 44 confirmed or suspected cases of covid being acquired on aircraft. Hence the 1:26m

 

[UP4014]

I think the ‘1 in 26 million’ came from IATA... they took the total number of passengers carried since covid, which was like 1.2 billion, and divided it by the 44 confirmed or suspected cases of covid being acquired on. aircraft. Hence the 1:26m

Ah thanks, always a good a note to self, when looking at stats or studies review who paid for them or this case provided them.

 

[coyote25]

I would like to see more of this.

I hope the *need* for 15-minute flight frequencies between MEL-SYD is gone for good. It's bad for the environment, and who is really so pressed for time they can't adjust a schedule by 15 minutes?

I do agree for interstate travel there should be less. The number of times I had to get up at 4.30 am for a day flight to SYD or BNE for little added value but I was ‘expected’ to be there in person made me wonder about cost, the environment and my health and I know I was alone in some of that thinking.

I had been pushing back against Australia work travel last few years so only 5-8 flights per year. It did occasionally come up in appraisals but I pushed back and said what critical workshops or meetings did I miss or no contribute to.

For me travel is/was about personal world travel for as long as possible outside Australia.

 

[Beano]

Travel from NZ to NSW and NT now possible so returning Ozzies are happy, but no return without quarantine so it will be some time before I can travel. Flights only from Auckland and Christchurch so makes it more costly if you live in Wellington. Still not sure if entry to NSW opens up the other states that someone from NSW can travel to.