As hybrid work models blur the lines between business and leisure, travel programs must adapt to an evolving remote workforce
As the phrase “deskless employees” gains traction in corporate vernacular, organizations face a nuanced challenge: The hybrid work model, characterized by remote work and bleisure travel, is reshaping traditional travel programs.
While many employers are advocating for a return to the office, the reality remains that a large segment of the workforce continues to work remotely. What’s more, when traveling, many are blending work and leisure, complicating travel management strategies. This shift not only affects how companies plan and budget for travel but also requires a reevaluation of policies and support systems to accommodate a diverse range of employee needs.
“Deskless employees” can be defined as workers who don’t primarily operate from a traditional office setting, according to Chloe Carver, head of corporate travel for Acquis Consulting Group. “This term has long described frontline workers in industries like manufacturing, construction, healthcare, retail and field services, but it is increasingly applied to formerly office-based professionals who now work remotely,” she says. “The pandemic instigated this shift, creating a broader category of ‘deskless’ workers across different sectors.”
In terms of travel patterns, Carver says she’s seen distinct trends from the different types of deskless employees. This evolution is creating interesting challenges for travel management as companies need policies flexible enough to accommodate the varying needs of all employee types.
“Traditional deskless workers like field technicians typically engage in regional or local travel that is task-oriented, with a high frequency of day trips,” Carver says. “They often have limited control over where and when they travel, as their movement is dictated by specific service calls, patient assignments or project sites. These workers require more on-demand transportation solutions that can be accessed as needed.”
Meanwhile, the new deskless workforce of remote and hybrid workers generally has more decision-making authority about their travel timing and methods. They are more likely to combine business with personal travel, resulting in varied departure and return locations. When these employees travel for business, their trips tend to be longer on average, and they often prioritize accommodations that offer suitable workspaces.
John Keichline, CEO, North America of Reed & Mackay, notes while companies are crafting guidelines for project management and to streamline oversight for “deskless employees” or digital nomads, TMCs also play a pivotal role in supporting them.
“They assist with visa options and ensure compliance with local regulations,” Keichline says. “Yet, this trend brings new challenges. As work-from-anywhere arrangements expand, organizations must redefine duty-of-care policies, consider regional risks and provide greater mental health support. According to the International SOS 2024 report, employees expected robust care when working remotely. For many, this has become a priority.”
James Stevenson, CEO of GlobalStar Travel Management, notes providing flexibility around remote working and bleisure travel can be seen as extremely attractive in competitive markets where employers may struggle to attract the best candidates and then to retain them.
“Depending on the demographic and industry, there may be an expectation that there is flexibility,” Stevenson says. “I think on the opportunity side, flexibility by employers to accommodate bleisure travel can be a powerful creator of employee loyalty and seen as a real value by a certain demographic of traveler. Bleisure also creates additional opportunity for the hospitality industry as bleisure travelers will stay longer than the typical business traveler.”
Addressing Challenges
Digital nomads and those on bleisure travel face some overlapping risks with remote workers, but their situations often bring unique challenges that require different considerations. While there are commonalities, the dynamic nature of digital nomads and the hybrid nature of bleisure travel may require an individualized approach to effectively mitigate risks and fulfill the duty of care obligations.
Caroline Strachan, co-founder of Festive Road, notes combined leisure and work travel continues to face the same challenges, such as what is the appropriate duration, insurance coverage, visa coverage, tax issues and more. Many companies have plug-ins for their booking tools or TMC support to handle these issues.
The challenges for deskless employees are born from their lack of the typical corporate compliance reinforcement that in-office workers are exposed to, says Gabe Rizzi, president of Altour. As a result, they often opt for a DIY workflow which in turn, can lead to out of program bookings. “This can create lost value in supplier leverage when aggregating travel spend due to program leakage,” Rizzi says. “This puts a focus on providing booking technology that is mobile centric since these deskless employees live on their smart phones and tablets while in the field and TMCs must adapt to that.”
Another challenge is the possibility of blending personal time into the work schedules due to the off-hour requirements of field work. Being able to differentiate that for reimbursement and liability concerns is a balancing act for both the employer and the TMC.
Christian Dahl, executive vice president, people and culture at BCD Travel, points to insurance as one challenge with this new segment. “In the past, insurance policies mainly catered to office-based staff and covered business travel; companies must now update their policies to address the needs of remote employees and consider international workers and digital nomads operating across borders,” Dahl says. “This involves ensuring adherence to local laws and providing sufficient coverage for health, liability, property, legal and compliance risks and travel. Companies should clearly define and communicate when corporate insurance policies apply and when employees might need personal insurance.”
Another issue is around duty of care and how that’s managed, Keichline says, explaining that organizations are increasingly placing an emphasis on traveler tracking and risk management reporting.
“We have found that while the increase in reporting requests has been universal, the specific solutions and support that organizations have requested vary based on the size and scale of their travel operations,” he says. “For us, this highlights the importance of working with our risk management partners to ensure travel wellbeing. Our clients have access to our 24/7/365 global Incident Management Unit and those strong relationships with our risk management partners helps to ensure we are proactive in keeping our travelers safe.”
Savvy Strategy
There is no one-size-fits-all approach regarding how to integrate, limit or support these hybrid trips. Some organizations choose to allow employees to book the personal components of their blended travel through their corporate booking tools.
“This approach offers employees the convenience of a single booking experience and extends corporate discounts to their personal travel, serving as a notable employee benefit,” Carver says. “Companies also recognize this can increase program volume and improve negotiating leverage with suppliers. However, companies must consider the potential complexities in financial reconciliation, liability implications and the additional support burden on travel teams.”
Companies with sustainability targets must also evaluate bleisure travel through an environmental lens. While combining business and personal travel can reduce overall carbon emissions compared to separate trips, accurate tracking of the business portion of the trip presents challenges, Carver explains.
“Most TMCs are following their clients’ lead when it comes to allowing and handling bleisure travel,” she says. “Some TMCs are adapting their services to better address the challenges associated with the rise in bleisure travel, but this space is ripe for more innovation. Forward-thinking TMCs have an opportunity to differentiate themselves by creating more comprehensive tools and services specifically designed for this growing travel pattern.”
It really begins with clearly defining the overall travel program goals and how they support broader organizational objectives. “Companies with clearly defined goals related to cost control, employee satisfaction, operational efficiency, and sustainability can make more informed decisions about how their travel policies and operations should address the needs of deskless workers,” Carver says. “A strategic foundation allows travel managers to develop policies with intentionality rather than simply reacting to patterns of increased bleisure travel.”
Once these strategic decisions have been made, developing comprehensive policy language around bleisure travel becomes essential. Companies should create explicit guidelines regarding cost allocation between business and personal segments, insurance coverage boundaries, approval processes for extending business trips, the role of the TMC for the personal segments, documentation requirements for expense reimbursement and rules for the use of corporate rates.
There are several points to consider for creating working bleisure travel policies. Clarifying when business ends and leisure begins helps employees understand expectations before travel. “Employers should also outline policies regarding remote work during leisure time, especially as remote work and digital nomadism have grown in popularity,” Keichline says. “Employees should know which expenses are covered by the company and which are their responsibility. Clear communication around expense claims ensures employees know boundaries while avoiding unnecessary disputes.”
The best way to do that, he notes, is to involve key stakeholders from the outset, with HR, finance and legal teams playing an active role in designing a bleisure policy. What’s more, TMCs should provide businesses with access to cutting-edge technology designed to enhance efficiency, compliance and traveler experience through advanced reporting tools. “Clients can track spending, optimize travel programs and drive greater cost efficiencies,” Keichline says. “Over time, these tools evolve alongside a company’s travel needs, delivering long-term efficiency and strategic value.”
Dahl notes tech-enabled tools, such as travel tracking software and integrated risk management platforms, simplify the monitoring of employee locations. However, it is essential to balance this with privacy considerations.
“Clear communication about the purpose of these tools and prioritizing employee trust are crucial,” he says. “Technology plays a significant role in ensuring employee safety worldwide. For instance, DecisionSource, BCD’s data insights and analytics platform, offers proactive notifications and actionable insights into traveler behavior, program compliance and traveler security.”
Using a data-driven and active listening approach can yield a comprehensive view of topics such as employee engagement, talent management, health, and wellbeing, Dahl says. “For instance, our data reveals that office workers experience higher levels of wellbeing, while remote workers enjoy greater flexibility and have a more positive outlook on their work environment. By combining these insights with the qualitative feedback gathered during check-ins, we can better understand how to care for our employees.”
Altour has launched a suite of AI-enabled mobile friendly tools that deskless workers can use to facilitate booking, duty of care, communication with the TMC and predictive flight delays management. “Every technology you deploy must ensure it is mobile ready or you risk losing the ability to effectively manage your deskless program requirements,” Rizzi says. “We’ve also struck partnerships with non-employee travel OBTs which is where a lot of program leakage emanates due to the company not having the non-employees’ profiles, pushing them to book on their own.”
It’s all about managing by objectives and providing tools and tech that bridge between those in the office and those in the field. “It’s about outcomes and ROI – remote workers or deskless employees should travel with purpose versus just traveling to meet and greet,” Rizzi advises. “All TMCs should be able to assist their clients with establishing the true ROI for their travel programs whether they are in the office or remote.”
Evolving Landscape
To be successful with deskless employees, Strachan says the key is to understand why employees consume travel and always lead with a purpose-first approach: Why does the trip need to happen? The rest follows from there. That will be what defines the segment going forward.
Keichline predicts a continued focus on and evolution of visas, health and safety of the traveler, duty of care and complying with company policies will be critical to manage the new world of digital nomads and deskless employees.
Carver expects to see an increase in book, pay and expense technology that better addresses diverse work models and travel patterns in the near future. “The next generation of travel and expense platforms will likely feature adaptive interfaces that automatically adjust based on traveler type,” she says. “These systems will deliver personalized experiences based on individual work contexts rather than treating all employees identically.”
Ultimately, the most successful travel programs will be those that recognize employee mobility as a strategic business enabler rather than merely a cost center, Carver maintains. “Organizations that thoughtfully design travel experiences aligned with both business objectives and employee preferences – across all worker types – will gain competitive advantage in talent attraction and retention while optimizing their investment in business travel.”
