Airlines and Hotels to Businesses: Unleash Travelers From Restrictive Travel Policies to Improve Productivity and Happiness

HELL, Norway, April 1 — On the opening day of its annual meeting, the American Service Society of Corporate Ambulatory Managers, or ASSCAM, announced findings of a research report that found that corporate morale improves greatly when employees are allowed to make their own travel decisions unhindered by corporate policy.

By allowing employees to book rooms at preferred hotels and flights with preferred airlines so they can gain the maximum number of miles and points, employees will enjoy greater satisfaction with their jobs and also be more productive and happy.

ASSCAM is the largest association of corporate travel managers in the world.

The study, conducted by the independent research firm Takë Shortcutti, surveyed 50,000 executives from ASSCAM’s membership and examined the differences in employee satisfaction and happiness between those employed at companies with strict policies versus those where “anything goes.”

The researchers also interviewed over 40 business travelers to determine what their feelings were about working at companies with strict travel policies compared to companies with few restrictions.

The Takë Shortcutti report contained the following recommendations for employers:

• Authorize first- or business-class travel for all flights.
• Produce annual comfort ratings of airline lie-flat beds so travelers can make an informed decision when booking flights.
• Limit hotel contracts to those that offer butler service, spa services, and personal trainers.
• Add seven days at the end of each trip for relaxation and allowing the employee to see the sights and soak in local culture.

“The business traveler, as evidenced by Ryan Bingham (the George Clooney character in ‘Up in the Air,’) does not get enough love from employers,” said Michael Frieden, the group’s vice president of membership. “While some seem to think that a motel that ‘leaves the light on for you’ is sufficient, the Takë Shortcutti study has identified serious deficiencies in today’s travel policies and we need to address these posthaste.”

(Photo: Accura Media Group)