Business travels are becoming more common nowadays, growing into a necessity more than a perk for bankers, sales executives, and many others. Some longer than others, business travellers have an important role in the travel industry, especially train travel.
More workers now prefer face-to-face meetings to virtual meetings done through a service business scheduling software or a WordPress booking system and conference calls, making business travels one of the biggest time and money losses for companies.
A business travel study conducted by Travelodge, a UK hotel operator, revealed that 46 per cent of workers across London regularly travel for work, with an average of up to three days a week. 46 per cent of the participants stated that they are more productive during business trips.
Travelodge’s Spokesperson, Shakila Ahmed, said: “Travel has become a big part of modern business, thanks to technology. Nowadays you can potentially work anywhere”.
Although the time spent by workers to commute to meet clients or colleagues count as paid working time, this can cost thousands of pounds for businesses.
According to Statista, business travel spending in the UK from 2010 to 2017 amounted to approximately £38.46 billion.
With the rise of business travels, companies are urged to understand the exact costs of each trip in order to choose the best vehicle to travel with. This article looks at some beneficial aspects of train travel, which could help companies save money on business trips. With over 2,563 train stations across the UK, train travel is without doubt one of the most accessible options for business travel.
Work on board
A great benefit of train travel for businesses is the opportunity to work during your journey. The train becomes an office-on-the-go, allowing workers to be productive while travelling. This level of flexibility isn’t always possible on road travels, and even less common when travelling by air.
Unlimited WiFi
Opting for rail as opposed to road or other travelling mediums is also beneficial to workers who can get WiFi connection onboard most trains. WiFi allows workers to check their emails, keep a constant communication with their clients, and even work on important presentations. Being able to review meeting notes and presentations might sound of minimum importance, but this often removes stress and anxiety off work commuters, as it helps them feel more prepared prior to their work appointments.
Rail card discounts
As mentioned above, train travel is beneficial to reduce costs. Most employees can qualify for Rail Cards, which offer up to 30 per cent discount on train tickets. Spending £30 for a one-year rail card could save you up to a third off standard rail fares on every trip.
Charging devices
Train travel is beneficial for workers for another key reason: charging electronic devices. Workers tend to travel with two or more devices on each work trip and there are chances that a work laptop will need topping up of charge during the journey. On trains, sockets are easily accessible and free to use.
Delay refunds
Unlike road travels for instance, travellers can apply for a full refund in case of railway delays. If you were involved in intense traffic while driving to a work trip, you wouldn’t be entitled for any form of refund. In addition to losing precious time, you lose money as well. But with rail travel, commuting it’s handy to get the company some money back in case of a delay.
With that said, we can fairly conclude that train travels are probably the most beneficial alternatives for workers on business trips. The reasons we saw above make work trips more productive and of easy access. In addition, both employers and employees can enjoy the benefits and comforts of rail travels as opposed to other modes of transport.
Sources
https://www.peninsulagrouplimited.com/guides/travelling-for-work-law/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/277883/business-travel-spending-united-kingdom/
