Travel is critical to me & my company - here's why more HR teams should use it to build corporate culture

Travel is my love language. As I write this, I’m recovering from jet lag after a trip that included stops in both Hawaii and Cartagena, Columbia - a mix of both business and pleasure. I got my love of travel from my mom, who is in her seventies and just got back from a trip to Egypt and Dubai. 

As a CHRO, my love for travel has evolved to mean something more than experiencing new parts of the world. It’s become critical in building and maintaining a healthy corporate culture. 

The pandemic created a number of changes to the way people work that have made it essential for company executives to be thoughtful about business travel and what it means for their employees. The topline statistics are well-known. Business travel decreased significantly and is only set to rebound to 2019 levels at the end of 2024.

What’s more, remote work has now become the norm in many organizations. This means that companies didn’t just allow current employees to work from home, they’ve started hiring people in places far away from their central office hubs, if in fact they have office hubs.

These changes to the way we work mean that a lot of companies are dealing with a base of employees who don’t travel to see people they work with as often as they used to - whether that be to the office or on business trips. With less together time, company culture can get weaker, and employees can feel less connected. 

Learning to fly

Some corporations are trying to get their employees back in the office. People who work remotely can feel left out, and communication and speed can suffer. Another option is to build a culture of travel. The budgets saved by downsizing the office or hiring in alternative markets should be reinvested, at least partially, in more frequent get-togethers. There are countless ways to do it, from getting smaller teams or divisions in the office one week a month, to having larger quarterly, half-yearly, or annual off-sites. 

While a big annual all-hands can be satisfying to the CEO, those more regular, smaller gatherings can be more meaningful to drive productivity and team culture. People need to feel like they have friends at work, and video calls don’t always allow for those relationship-building moments. 

Building budgets and schedules that encourage employees to travel - to see each other or to see clients can be a valuable alternative to in-office work policies.

Creating a culture of travel can create higher loyalty and productivity

Make the trip count

In this new world of remote work, team building looks different. Older executives with long memories of after-work happy hours and meetings in big corporate hotels need to embrace new ways of bonding to appeal to younger and remote workers. One way to build a healthy culture is to involve the team in deciding what the travel will be. Maybe it’s an outdoorsy group that wants to go hiking after the meetings are over. Or a team that loves live music. Bonding over shared passions and sharing new experiences drives stronger bonds. 

My daughters both went to college in New Orleans, a city with a rich culture. Just visiting for a couple of days exposed me to food, music, culture, and fun - exactly what I love about a new destination. With smaller teams traveling to see each other, we can break out of the stale “Las Vegas or Florida” rut and discover places that deliver much more than a big conference room.

Travel for work also has the potential to create meaning for employees, which matters more to younger generations. If everyone needs to create a bond and is searching for deeper meaning, why not create an agenda that includes an activity that aligns with company values? Teams could spend a day working in a local underserved community or helping an environmental cause.

The extra effort to create memorable travel experiences for employees is worth it. Younger generations want to see the world and they want connections. Plus, it helps align teams. Building in the budget and the leeway for teams to travel in new ways has the potential to create higher loyalty and higher productivity, and also attracts top talent who want the flexibility of working from home and the opportunities for team and work travel. It’s a win-win.

Maya A. Bordeaux is the Chief People & Culture Officer at ATPCO, where she serves as the global leader of Human Resources and Environment at a Dulles-based travel technology company that supports 440 airlines worldwide. Maya also founded Lead With Love Consulting LLC, a human resources and diversity consultancy.