With the pandemic fundamentally changing the status quo of worker location well beyond the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, the idea that business events could increase to help build workplace culture took longer than one might expect to become a frequently flagged benefit of the pandemic for the events industry.
Now research from Flight Centre Travel Group’s business traveller arm has confirmed this is indeed the case.
In a survey of 1,001 Australians, commissioned by Corporate Traveller, 55 per cent of respondents said they were meeting their teams in person more often, through social, team building or strategy days.
And in good news for the business events ecosystem, 78 per cent of these events are being held outside of the workplace – and sometimes outside of the city where the office is located.
The survey also showed that 81 per cent of employees still have flexible working arrangements and some remain fully remote from their workplace.
Of the 81 per cent who were still enjoying flexible work, 44 per cent said they were meeting up in-person more regularly – 17 per cent said there were more social meet-ups, 17 per cent said there were more team building occasions and nine per cent they were doing more face-to-face strategy days.
Victoria has the highest percentage of respondents saying work events have increased – 50 per cent confirmed this was the case – while only 35 per cent of Queenslanders said the same. New South Wales was in the middle at 46 per cent.
Meanwhile, 23 per cent of those who were meeting at events more often said they were doing so a flight away. Meeting outside of the workplace was highest in New South Wales – 78 per cent – and lowest in South Australia – 63 per cent.
“There is a real desire among businesses for more human interaction, and while there are benefits to flexible arrangements, there are some things you simply can’t achieve remotely or online,” said Corporate Traveller’s CEO, Tom Walley.
“In online meetings, it is more difficult to ‘read the room’ or identify non-verbal cues. You don’t always hear the nuanced meaning behind someone’s words.
“Employers are doing their best to balance the two demands by offering flexible working arrangements as well as regular, fun opportunities that bring workers together in-person and build a solid team. These events will ultimately benefit the business, the team and the mental health of employees.”
