According to the results of the study recently unveiled by SAP Concurfive points of tension "These days, it is said, business travel is restricted on the basis of the feedback received from employees. 1600 people involved. Among these, the authors of the report point the finger at ". profound differences between travellers, travel managers and finance departments ". SAP Concur points in particular to a gap between the perception of travel by finance departments and travellers themselves. Among the latter, there is a near consensus on the usefulness of travel (82%). And 70% of mobile employees say they are prepared to travel in the next twelve months. But four out of ten finance directors (43%) believe that video-conferencing could replace half of all business travel, or even more. Or even more... However, almost one in two finance directors fears that the refusal of certain employees to travel could compromise the performance of their teams. As for travel managers, a third of those surveyed (35%) see the rise of virtual travel as a "direct threat" to business travel. " At a time when companies are seeking to combine economic performance, employee well-being and a reduction in their carbon footprint, business travel is still the subject of debate. "summarise the authors of the report.
" For the first time, our survey sheds light on the persistent disagreements between travellers, travel managers and finance departments "says Romain Delcroix, head of SAP Concur France. He goes on to add, if that were necessary: " If travel is to remain a lever for growth and opportunities, it is essential to align everyone's priorities and expectations. ".
Unsurprisingly, budget remains the sinews of war. From this point of view, many employees (76%) fear a reduction in the resources allocated to business travel, or at least a stagnation. In fact, 64% of them have seen major journeys cut short for cost reasons. Surprisingly few finance directors (24 %) and travel managers (22 %) share this view. The authors of the SAP Concur study see this as "a gap between perception and reality", and "a discrepancy revealing a lack of communication on mobility priorities and trade-offs". They nevertheless point out that for 69 % of travel managers, budgets are not up to the challenges, and that 51 % of financial directors recognise that budget restrictions are putting the brakes on travel. But only three out of 10 finance directors (29 %) believe that "these constraints are really affecting the ability of teams to do their jobs properly".
