KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — With the pandemic dominating news headlines, employees on business trips are putting their health and personal safety as the number one priority over other needs post-Covid-19, and expect companies to limit non-essential travels.
This was revealed in a survey by SAP Concur, the world’s leading brand for integrated travel, expense and invoice management solutions.
The survey conducted by Wakefield Research from May-June 2020, involving 150 respondents, found that some 93 per cent of employees were concerned about resuming travel, worried about getting sick themselves (73 per cent) or infecting their families (67 per cent).
In a statement today, SAP Concur said the survey also found that the trip itself is likely to be anxiety-inducing — 56 per cent are concerned about being on a plane, 49 per cent about using public transportation, and 42 per cent about using rideshare or taxis.
SAP Concur managing director (Southeast Asia) Laura Houldsworth said organisations should update their travel policies and create a mechanism to clearly define essential travel – not just from the corporate standpoint but also taking into account government regulations and employees’ appetite for travel.
“We believe that only with such support can employees confidently resume travel, continue to deliver on work commitments and service customers as they did before Covid-19,” she said.
About 45 per cent of the respondents say that they experience the most stress during the trip, rather than before (23 per cent) or after the trip (31 per cent). — Bernama
