Companies Allow Travel Again But Keep It on the Down-Low

Some company travel managers are ringing in the new year with a relaxation of strict travel bans that had been around since March 2020. But for now it’s something they’d prefer to keep on the lowdown.

Such is the chaos that the new Omicron variant caused at the end of last year, companies are reluctant to broadcast the fact that staff can travel domestically, with the risk of having to backtrack deemed too high.

One global entertainment production company has had a four-phase approach for its return to travel program in place since the pandemic began, covering critical, essential, important and minor travel.

“For the longest time we were critical only, and towards the tail end of last year we opened it up to essential,” he said, preferring to withhold his company’s name. Critical travel is classified as a business trip that would prevent the collapse of the firm, while the essential category includes any form of travel that helps it generate revenue.

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