Lee Sullivan is vice president of commercial sales at American Express
Gen Z is reshaping the workplace with fresh perspectives on careers and development, prompting businesses to rethink how they attract and retain talent. As this generation, many of them in their 20s, comprise an increasingly larger proportion of the workforce, employers must engage with them, innovate and adapt their strategies to align with what resonates most with this cohort of employees.
One compelling way to connect with this generation is through travel opportunities. According to recent American Express research, nine in ten business traveller respondents in the Gen Z cohort said travel elevates their job satisfaction, highlighting the need for employers to incorporate these opportunities in employees' professional lives where appropriate.
To effectively attract and retain Gen Z talent, businesses can harness the appeal of business travel – but it’s dependent on understanding what exactly it is about travel that makes this generation tick. For Gen Z workers, it’s about far more than just travelling from A to B – it's about a blend of purpose, productivity and personal growth.
By understanding and tapping into these priorities when it comes to their business travel offering, businesses can ensure they’re in the best position possible to attract, and keep, the best talent.
Gen Z’s outlook on business travel goes beyond the workplace, with many viewing it as a dual opportunity for both career growth and personal fulfilment. The research, which polled both business travellers and decision makers across companies of all sizes, underscores this sentiment, revealing that three-fifths of Gen Z employees say they are planning to spend more time travelling on business in 2025 – more than any other generation surveyed.
This generation also sees business trips as pivotal to career progression, with 81 per cent believing it enhances their marketability to future employers and 83 per cent saying that it improves their chances of promotion within their current organisation.
The research also found that close to half of Gen Z travellers combine work and leisure on these trips, extending work trips for their own personal enjoyment as they’re confident they can stay productive while on-the-go. In fact, nearly three-quarters claim to work longer hours during business trips than they do while in the office.
By supporting this integrated approach of business and leisure – by offering policies that enable trip extensions, support remote working and allow flexible schedules – employers can make business travel more rewarding. This approach is mutually beneficial, enhancing job satisfaction for employees while boosting productivity for businesses – a win-win for both sides.
But it’s a delicate balance to strike. While Gen Z are eager to travel for work, many are also conscious of the environmental impact of doing so, with three quarters of Gen Z travellers sharing this sentiment. While these concerns aren’t unique to this age cohort, it’s an area that over a third of travel decision-makers said they are exploring in regard to making their corporate travel more sustainable.
Of course, the value of business travel goes beyond just attracting and retaining Gen Z employees, delivering commercial advantages, too. Three quarters of business travel decision makers said business trips play a vital role in driving their organisation’s revenue and profitability, and over four-fifths emphasised its importance in helping to maintain existing international business relationships.
It's clear that business travel offers many benefits, from employee engagement to securing new revenue, and proving foundational to business success, but Gen Z puts more value on it than any other generation.