A large majority (85%) of employees say that corporate offsites strengthened their connection to their organizations and their goals, according to a “State of Corporate Offsites” report from Emburse, a travel and expense management provider. The survey of 2,000 US employees also found that inefficient travel and expense management practices unfairly disadvantage younger employees, who are left with a bill for workplace bonding.

Among the findings:
•The top benefit cited by employees was networking with colleagues they don’t often interact with (32%), followed by direct communication with leadership (21%) and skill-building opportunities (19%).
•When asked about their feelings in anticipation of attending a corporate offsite event, the top response by far was excitement (65%). Only 4% of employees reported a sense of dread.
•Improving employee engagement may be why employers are planning offsite gatherings more often. In fact, employees reported attending an average of 2.6 offsite events in 2024, compared with 2.4 in 2019. Most (61%) thought their company’s budget had increased in 2024 over the previous year.

Despite their generally positive views of offsites, employees said the costs of attendance, such as travel incidentals, child care and new clothes, exacerbated by delayed reimbursements, created a financial burden, particularly for younger employees.

• Over three-quarters (77%) of Generation Z respondents and 70% of Millennial employees reported a “major” or “some” impact on their personal finances, while the majority (62%) of Baby Boomers reported no financial impact.
• Employees in Generation X were split nearly in half, with 54% reporting a financial impact.
• Only 25% of respondents reported using a corporate card (virtual or physical) to pay for offsite-related expenses; 29% said they paid out of pocket and submitted expense reports, while 46% said someone else at the organization managed their expenses for them.
• Moreover, in a study last year, Emburse found that nearly a quarter of employees had engaged in “revenge spending” by passing off personal purchases as business expenses. Putting an additional financial burden on employees may make those participating in this practice feel justified in their actions.

Adriana Carpenter, Emburse’s CFO, said, “Thoughtful policies that minimize out-of-pocket costs for employees are more than operational fixes; they demonstrate that the organization values its workforce and what each person brings to the team.”

Image: Emburse