More than half (53 percent) of U.S. office workers, who have experienced an increase in in-person meetings, are struggling to cope with the increased demand as business travel and face-to-face time is on the rise, according to new research from Blacklane.
For many, this has resulted in an increase in business travel, with 41 percent admitting the frequency of work-related travel has increased over the last two years. In fact, 73 percent of office workers have traveled up to 50 times for business in the last 12 months.
The research confirms and even exceeds the results of a separate report¹ which shows business travel is booming, predicting that it will reach its pre-pandemic total of $1.4 trillion in 2024 and grow to nearly $1.8 trillion by 2027, as many companies resume business operations.
“People spend more time out and about meeting clients, colleagues, associates, and so on, and in turn, this means more time spent away from the desk, impacting efficiency and ultimately meaning more work is trying to be squeezed into the same day.”
— Dr. Jens Wohltorf, CEO and Founder, Blacklane
“Across the board, we’re seeing a huge increase in the demand for business travel as we experienced a growth rate of 50 percent in the past year and our revenue quadrupled in 2022 compared to the previous year,” said Dr. Jens Wohltorf, Blacklane CEO and Founder. “People spend more time out and about meeting clients, colleagues, associates, and so on, and in turn, this means more time spent away from the desk, impacting efficiency and ultimately meaning more work is trying to be squeezed into the same day.”
While in-person meetings and business travel are on the rise, virtual meetings persist with 49 percent saying there’s also an increase in remote meetings, adding to the difficult balance between the virtual and face-to-face world.
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Workplace Trends For The Office In 2024For more than half (53 percent) of office workers, this change is accompanied by a feeling of increased pressure to be constantly available, especially on the way to work and during business trips. This perception is significantly more pronounced among younger generations ,such as Generation Z (52 percent), compared to baby boomers (41 percent).
When it comes to productivity on the go, 92 percent of U.S. office-based professionals send emails outside of work, often when commuting or traveling (39 percent).
Noise is the worst part of trying to work on the go, according to 20 percent of of U.S. office-based professionals, followed by unplanned wait times and delays (18 percent), the lack of internet connection (18 percent), and a lack of seating (17 percent).
Note
¹ Report from Global Business Travel Index Report 2023.
