For many Travel Management Companies (TMCs), the idea of encouraging clients not to travel might seem absurd. However, the work staycation could be the new travel category offered by innovative TMCs. With those embracing the work staycation opening up new revenue streams, increasing customer satisfaction, and serving the climate-conscious demands of their clients.
With the shift in working habits due to to COVID, combined with the impact on emissions, we are seeing more and more companies like Zurich Insurance Group make big commitments to reducing travel emissions (70% in this case). This places a whole new emphasis and pressure on the travel industry to create innovative approaches and solutions to balancing an effective travel programme with emissions reductions.
What is a Work Staycation?
A work staycation is a work trip where you never leave your home.
This might sound odd, but remember that many work trips are for ‘soft’ reasons. They are for networking between teams, team away days, context switching so projects can finish, white-boarding sessions, to name a few.
The idea of a work staycation is that you setup your ‘trip’ so that you may enjoy many of the same soft benefits of travel, while not clocking up either the travel time or CO2e emissions.
How does a TMC drive revenue from a Work Staycation?
Right now it’s a wild-west, but we believe innovative TMCs will soon start setting up Work Staycation packages. A one day typical team bonding package might look something like this:
- Breakfast & coffee delivered (sure, it’s no hotel buffet, but maybe that’s for the better).
- A one day virtual event platform pass (e.g. Gather.Town, AllSeated), so the team can have real 1-on-1 conversations instead of 20 people talking at once on Zoom.
- Miro day-passes so teammates can collaboratively brainstorm ideas (drop us an email if you’re curious how we do this at Thrust Carbon).
- Doughnut delivery.
- A cocktail masterclass presented by a professional, so everyone can make their favourite beverage at home.
- Issue hotel loyalty points. Enable your staycationers to receive the real travel rewards and incentives that go alongside travel.