Staff returning to the industry say firms must offer attractive benefits, flexible working and job security to tempt back employees.
An Abta survey in November 2021 reported employee numbers across the industry at 50% of March 2020 levels. It suggested 49% of jobs in the outbound sector had been lost since then – some 108,290 roles.
Staff who worked outside travel during the pandemic said attractive job packages were now key.
Riviera Travel key account manager Beverley Philpotts, who worked on Covid testing for a year after being made redundant, suggested firms should offer flexible working, such as homeworking and four-day weeks for the same pay, give staff their birthday off work and guarantee fam trips after two years’ service.
“There is no one-size-fits-all but to be able to work from home, especially if you have a young family or you are looking after elderly relatives, could be a draw,” she said.
“Other benefits could be given for an improved work-life balance and to make staff feel appreciated without necessarily increasing wages. For me, having a break gave me a fresh appreciation of the industry so I knew it was the right time to return.”
Fred Olsen Travel key account manager Jenny Wade, who worked at an entertainment company for nearly a year, agreed employers should look to offer “flexible hours where possible and incentives and rewards”, adding: “The travel industry is so friendly and positive.”
Stuart Perry, who has returned to G Touring as product manager after 15 months at the Department for Work and Pensions, stressed the importance of workplace culture, adding firms had to “support people to grow and be an integral part of the success of the business”.
He said it was a “no-brainer” to return to a company with a strong people-centric work culture which was “confident in the future” and “still had a clear plan to grow”.
Travel industry job security fears
C The World sales consultant Caroline North, who worked for an online UK breaks agency for 17 months after being made redundant due to the collapse of Thornton’s Travel, said former colleagues remained hesitant about taking travel roles because of fears over long-term job security.
“Companies need to offer security. I was given the background on C The World so was confident it was secure,” she said, adding: “I really missed the face to face contact [of working in a high-street agency] and leaving the house to go to work. It’s lovely to be back in an agency chatting to clients.”
One former industry employee who asked not to be named said a lack of confidence in the sector’s future was a major issue.
“I never expected to leave travel but I’ve joined a company with amazing employee benefits and salaries and which is less likely to be affected by Covid,” he said, claiming travel perks often hid “rubbish salaries”. He added: “I wouldn’t come back to travel right now because I still don’t feel there’s enough security.”