In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many professionals across the globe are slowly coming back to their offices. Others are very happy working remotely and have no rush to return to their cubicles. Many companies are being forced to adopt more flexible work cultures in order to retain quality talent.

So what does going to the office and international business travel look like in a post-pandemic world? Here are a few potential ideas.

Vaxports could become a permanent fixture

Widespread testing will be key to allowing international travel to continue without fear of causing another outbreak.

Certifications for both vaccines and negative test results will likely be carried by many travellers in the future, to be allowed to go to their destination, as well as potentially enjoy more relaxed restrictions on movement.

The widespread availability of both vaccines and rapid testing will allow travel to return to somewhat normal levels, with less planning, paperwork, and not-so-complicated logistics.

Masks and hand sanitiser are probably the new normal

When a flight attendant posted a TikTok that broke down the nastiest parts of a plane, she took it upon herself to encourage passengers to sanitise their seats when they fly.

Keeping your hands clean isn’t just a COVID-19 trend. It’s going to continue to be important to help fight outbreaks and keep you generally healthy wherever you find yourself.

And even when wearing a mask will no longer be a requirement, some people may choose to wear them to protect their health, as well as that of those around them.

Organising work according to the state of our health

Pre-pandemic, a simple cold wasn’t usually enough to deter people from travelling, or going to the office. Times have changed. Anyone looking to test this theory need only cough around their colleagues and see how they react.

There will be a more social stigma around the decision to go to the office and travel when you’re feeling under the weather. This might just work out though, as experts are predicting that flexible cancellation policies are likely to outlast the pandemic, and an increasing number of companies are okay with their employees working from home when needed.

A rise in business/pleasure hybrid travel

After a year of working remotely, many professionals have found that they’re actually more productive working from home and have no plans to return to the office any time soon. But staying in one place pretty much all day, every day has made people a bit restless — understandably so.

Post-pandemic, many professionals may choose to stay in their travel destinations for a longer time, while working remotely. It could be that the next business trip you go on, rather than three days, you stay for three weeks!

Reducing costs and increasing efficiency as an even higher priority

Going to see clients and international travel for work is, for the most part, still working time that people are paid for, and thus needs to be efficient and cost-effective. This is even more relevant in a post-pandemic world when many companies are trying to make up for their losses.

Services like Bolt Business — which offers reliable, affordable ground transportation in over 40 countries — can help companies ease the burden on their bottom line. Companies can create a Team Account to help manage their employees’ ride expenses all from one easy to use dashboard.

The tool is designed to simplify the process of booking, expensing and reporting inner-city work travel, giving admins oversight on where and how much money is being spent. This results in less time (money) spent on tasks that can be automated. That way, you can fully focus on providing value for your customers.

Try Bolt Business today and discover how it can help your company save time and increase the efficiency of your work ride expense management processes!