The number of travel companies which want employees to work in the office rather than remotely is starting to rise, according to C&M Recruitment boss Barbara Kolosinska.
Speaking on a panel at the Travel Weekly People Summit 2023, Kolosinska said that overall travel companies continued to offer either office based or remote roles, or a ‘hybrid’ of both.
But she admitted: “We are already beginning to see more companies wanting people to come back to the office for longer than candidates are wanting. I think companies are becoming firmer on that.”
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In the main, job seekers still preferred hybrid or remote working roles but there were also signs more staff wanted to work in an office, she noted.
She said: “Some are beginning to want to go into the office, especially the younger ones. It’s difficult to on-board, manage and develop performance remotely.
“I am seeing more candidates wanting to come back to the office and more companies wanting people to be more office based than at home.”
The Travel Network Group chief executive Gary Lewis argued that for any business with fewer than 120 staff the culture was more important than flexible working practices.
He said that was the case for the consortium, which has around 65 employees in head office.
“The culture is what drives people to our business,” said Lewis, adding: “Of course we have flexible working practices but I am really proud of the fact people want to come [and] that we don’t have to offer that [remote working] to bring them into the organisation.”
Kirker Holidays managing director Ted Wake, speaking from the audience, said his company’s decision to introduce an work in the office policy had increased the tour operator’s productivity and helped new employees. The operator, which has around 50 staff, has taken on 20 graduates over the last 18 months.
“For us to train them, it takes about two years to get them up to speed. We are deluding ourselves [to think] we can do that remotely. They are bright and ambitious and fed up with being stuck at home,” he said.
He said the business had “lost a couple of people” since introducing the office working rule in March last year but cited the benefits of collaboration between senior staff and new starters, from mentoring opportunities to new learnings and perspectives.
He said: “What’s been fantastic over the last 18 months is learning from clever young graduates who want to get ahead. We find you have to be there under one roof. It’s a sophisticated collaboration. It’s extremely productive.”
Rachel Reddan, people director, Saga Travel Group, told the summit that said the company gave total flexibility to staff over “when and where they want to work” but conceded there were “pros and cons” on both sides of the argument.
She said: “We are lucky our chief executive sees the value in operating the way we. We are working hard to makes sure new starters have everything in place.
“People might not be in every day. It’s about having planned, purposeful connections. I appreciate it’s trying to get a balance of the two.”
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