A new report from Roomex has found that badly managed workforce travel is creating unnecessary financial strain and making mobile employees consider resignation.
The report, Reinventing the Journey: The Voice of the Field Worker, surveyed more than 1,500 mobile workers and corporate travel bookers across construction, hospitality, transport, engineering, financial services and retail.
The findings reveal how disorganised travel management impacts employees’ experience.
Nearly half of workers (48%) say travel arrangements cause them significant stress, while 44% report poor work-life balance driven by fatigue, long-distance travel and irregular schedules.
These are not occasional business trips but week-in, week-out journeys, often made at short notice and with little support, leaving employees spending long periods away from home in budget hotels far from amenities.
The majority (80%) of mobile employees regularly pay for their own work travel costs using personal money or credit cards for hotel and transport expenses.
Out of those, a third wait more than a week for reimbursement, while 8% wait more than a month.
Many also spend up to £50 a day on items they can’t reclaim, such as meals or transport to remote sites. These costs quickly add up and create financial stress.
Retention is where the impact becomes most serious. Six in 10 mobile workers report that poor travel arrangements have either pushed them to leave a job or made them consider it.
This problem is particularly acute in construction (59%), food and drink (55.5%), and financial services (53.5%). For employers facing talent gap issues in the workforce, this is a preventable risk.
Businesses are also feeling the strain operationally. More than half (58%) of corporate travel bookers report last-minute bookings as their biggest challenge, driving up costs and reducing availability.
More than 70% highlight unapproved expenses and non-compliant bookings as common issues, while almost 30% say a lack of visibility over spend makes it hard to control budgets.
The report calls on businesses to rethink their approach to workforce travel. Simple measures like pre-paying for hotels, implementing clear policies and investing in tools that centralise booking and expense management can dramatically reduce stress for employees and costs for employers.
Centralising travel management allows businesses to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for staff, gain better cost visibility and secure more consistent accommodation options through streamlined processes.
Garry Moroney, CEO of Roomex, said: “Workforce travel sounds glamorous. It often isn’t. Most of the time, it means putting family, health and your personal life on hold for the job.
“While there’s a small minority who get to enjoy glamorous trips, for many, it is tough and isolating work. Businesses have spent years making office life better and improving office perks, but the field workforce is often overlooked.
“Mobile workers – those who travel at short notice, work irregular hours and sleep far from home – are rarely given the same consideration as their counterparts in the office. And yet, they are critical to the success of many of our nation’s most important sectors.
“Recruiting and retaining these people is vital and it’s time we stepped up to support those doing the hard miles.”
