Workers Opting for Lower-Paying Jobs to Travel More

A new breed of business travelers are opting for new experiences over traditional workplace benefits, and it’s an important trend for businesses to realize.

New research conducted by Booking.com found 30 percent of business travelers would accept a lower paying job if it meant they could travel more for work. The study found company bosses are undervaluing business travel as a tool for workforce motivation and staff retention.

“No longer seen as lost time or a career inconvenience, business travel is increasingly seen as an opportunity to expand horizons, find inspiration and progress in a career,” said Ripsy Bandourian, director of product development, Booking.com for Business.

Employees are increasingly expecting employers to keep pace with their need for work-life flexibility and are willing to negotiate salary in order to achieve that flexibility.

As travel becomes increasingly accessible, more and more people are looking to experience new destinations and new cultures, and they’re willing to sacrifice traditional work benefits to do so. Employees are willing to negotiate salary if it means more vacation days, more opportunities to travel on behalf of the company and more opportunities to work remotely.

While this trend is occurring slowly, it is something businesses may want to consider as they hire new, younger employees.