Employers with mobile or field workers, such as non office based engineers, site workers, contractors, and technicians, could be at risk of losing talent as research revealed that poorly managed travel is driving financial stress and resignations.
Research with 1,405 frequent work travellers across sectors including finance, construction and hospitality, and 105 corporate travel bookers and buyers, found that 60 percent of mobile employees have left or considered leaving a job over poor work travel management.
In addition to this, 80 percent of employees said they regularly cover work travel costs using personal money or credit cards for expenses like hotels and transport, according to workforce travel platform Roomex, which commissioned the survey.
Among those who pay for work travel expenses up front, 34.5 percent have to wait for more than a week to be reimbursed and 8 percent are left out of pocket for more than a month. Researchers found that many of these workers spend as much as £50 a day on items they can’t reclaim, such as meals or transport to remote sites.
Researchers emphasised that this issue is not about an occasional corporate trip as the employees involved are core, field-based employees, whose weekly travel is essential to operations but “rarely factored into retention or wellbeing strategies”.
The findings are outlined in a report from the platform provider called ‘Reinventing the Journey: The Voice of the Field Worker’. It warned that the week-in, week-out journeys, often made at short notice and with little support, mean that people spend long periods away from home in budget hotels far from amenities.
Nearly half of workers (48 percent) said travel arrangements caused them significant stress, while 44 percent report poor work-life balance driven by fatigue, long-distance travel, and irregular schedules.
The hit on talent retention is particularly acute in construction as 59 percent have considered quitting due to poor work travel arrangements. This is followed by 55.5 percent in the food and drink industry, and 53.5 percent of mobile employees in financial services. Researchers said the issue of inadequate and/or disorganised work travel needs to be tackled as employers are already dealing with talent gaps.
From the travel bookers side, the issues seem preventable with better management. Almost six in ten (58 percent) corporate travel bookers surveyed said that last-minute bookings were their biggest challenge. Late bookings drive up costs and reduce availability.
More than 70 percent of travel bookers said that unapproved expenses and non-compliant bookings were common issues they see. And nearly a third (30 percent) highlighted that a lack of visibility over what is spent makes it difficult to control budgets. Researchers said that such inefficiencies create additional work for finance teams and leave companies with limited control over travel costs.
Garry Moroney, CEO of Roomex, said: “Workforce travel sounds glamorous. It often isn’t. Most of the time, it means putting family, health, and your personal life on hold for the job. While there’s a small minority who get to enjoy glamorous trips, for many, it is tough and isolating work.
“Businesses have spent years making office life better and improving office perks, but the field workforce is often overlooked. Mobile workers – those who travel at short notice, work irregular hours and sleep far from home – are rarely given the same consideration as their counterparts in the office. And yet, they are critical to the success of many of our nation’s most important sectors. Recruiting and retaining these people is vital, and it’s time we stepped up to support those doing the hard miles.”
The report urged employers to rethink their approach to workforce travel. For example, pre-paying for hotels and implementing clear work travel policies can make a difference. In addition, investing in tools that centralise booking and expense management can reduce stress for employees and costs for employers. The platform provider said this is because centralised travel management helps businesses to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for staff, gain better visibility of costs, and secure consistent accommodation.
