Johannesburg – If your company accepts hybrid jobs and invests in AI-driven efficiency, you are already building a workplace that is perfect for your future. But there is often area left – your corporate travel policy.
Despite major changes in employee working styles, business trips are essential to closing transactions and strengthening client relationships. However, what employees expect from business trips today is not the same as they were five years ago. And it's very clear where the research is heading.
According to the PWC, by 2030, 48% of Africa's workforce will be under the age of 30, and in South Africa, millennials and Gen Z already make up 75% of their employees. These experts find travel policies that prioritize flexibility, happiness, purpose and focus solely on price, increasingly outdated.
World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 looks at work-life balance factors that are higher than pay alone for younger employees. However, while hybrid working models have evolved, business trips are often approached with stiff prior thoughts as employees were booked for unpleasant redeye flights and were expected to manage overload schedules.
According to Mummy Mafojane, general manager of FCM South Africa, the disconnect is a concern. “Employees are given flexibility in some areas, but when it comes to work trips, it's about cost savings at the expense of productivity and happiness,” says Maphojan.
It is clear that companies competing for top talent need to reevaluate their travel policies. So, what exactly should be changed?
Business travel needs to support happiness – not harm it
As Jobs' Future Report shows, employee happiness has now become a central anticipation in the workplace. It is no longer a secondary concern, but it is a direct link to job satisfaction and retention.
Nevertheless, many employees still find themselves in late-night flights before major meetings, scrambling between airports with multiple layovers, or durable itineraries designed to achieve cost savings rather than results, performance or happiness.
Mafojane says that advanced companies are replacing their outdated travel policies with companies that consider happiness. “Most companies now take a 'lowest logic fare' approach, rather than automatically selecting the cheapest ticket. This means not chasing the lowest price, but taking into account factors such as direct flights before meetings, travel time, recovery period and more. ”
Instead of insisting on a same-day return flight after a long meeting, more businesses have approved overnight stays to prevent burnout. Frequent flyers, especially those that handle key accounts and executive roles, are also increasing approval for premium economy seats on long distance routes.
“When employees are exhausted, productivity decreases,” explains Maphojan. “If someone is flying to close a large transaction but doesn't have time to recover, their ability to do so will be compromised. The balance between cost and happiness will lead to better business outcomes.”
The purpose of the business trip is changing
Executive travel before the pandemic often means moving from one city to another, attending checks and meetings, which could have easily happened remotely. However, when hybrid working models become standard, travel patterns change.
“The executives who used to go down the path every week are no longer following that pattern,” says Mafojane. “Traveling is becoming more strategic, meaning fewer travel is only when there are fewer better planned trips and fewer in-person engagement is needed.”
Rather than traveling for everyday meetings, business trips are increasingly focusing on high-impact engagement, such as negotiations, investor discussions, or hands-on team collaboration that cannot effectively occur with video calls.
At the same time, organizations are restructuring business trips to be shorter and more focused. Rather than making frequent pulled visits, employees maximize their time on the ground and condense meetings into short windows.
Ultimately, organizations need to start asking the right questions, Mafojane says. Are employees traveling because they need it or because they are habits? Can meetings be streamlined to less but more effective in-person visits? Companies making these adjustments are already seeing increased efficiency, increased employee satisfaction and even reduced costs.
Remote work creates new tax and compliance risks
As borderless work increases, PWC highlights growing challenges. Remote work and international travel overlap in ways that companies are not prepared.
Mafojane warns that businesses must establish clear policies regarding employees working across borders. In particular, they warn that they need to extend their long-term work schedules without realizing that they could cause new taxes or visa obligations.
“Employees can create complex tax housing issues for businesses when they extend business trips or work remotely while traveling,” she says.
Remote work policies that are consistent with global mobility tracking and updated travel guidelines are becoming essential for businesses with mobile teams internationally.
Mafojane encourages business leaders to place their company mobility under the same strategic review as their hybrid work and talent retention strategies.
“Question yourself: Does travel policy align with our values? Does it reflect how our employees work today? Is it flexible enough to balance efficiency, happiness and compliance? If the answer is no, it's time for change.”
