Today's issue of
Management.travel includes an article on
job losses at travel suppliers, but what about job security for buyers? In past downturns, there was a conventional wisdom that the value of the travel buyer is greatest in tough times. But conventions change and senior management sometimes isn't wise, so nerves can fray. A recent report by the National Business Travel Association quoted an unnamed participant as saying, "It doesn't matter how skilled I am in bringing results and doing my job effectively. It's about cutting heads, and mine is just another one. Performance is not an issue at all." On the bright side, 70 percent of U.S.-based travel buyers polled by NBTA between July and September said they did not fear that their positions would be eliminated or their departments reduced because of the economic situation. Nineteen percent were "somewhat" afraid and a few percentage points each said they did fear their positions would be eliminated or their departments reduced. Six percent said their departments were already downsized recently.
At a meeting of the New York City Business Travel Association last month, travel buyers from the hardest-hit sector--financial services--offered a few takes on job security:
Babcock and Brown travel manager Marcella Oliver: "We are really based in Sydney but our offices here in North America are facing some of the challenges that the Lehman’s the Goldman’s and all those places are having. What does that mean for me and my job? I am extremely busy--probably more busy than I have ever been--because there are a lot of things that come with those challenges. Looking at people (when there is a headcount reduction and you have to follow that travel all the way through), tiering down in hotels, renegotiating. ... I have had more renegotiations this year than negotiations all over the past two years. So it has been a very difficult time, but you pray for the best and that’s really all we can do right now."
Lazard Frères & Co. corporate travel manager Bonnie Darkey: "We are in a little bit better position than some of the other investment banks in that we didn’t have the credit crisis debts and so forth ... we are actually the bank that is out there advising every other bank. With that comes the challenge of making sure that we are still controlling cost. We do have an asset management side that just recently went to pre-trip approval for any international flights. It is a constantly changing environment. I am working much closer with vendors and partners this year in driving more savings, and I am talking about it more to my boss. I am a department of one, but I still don't feel confident that they wouldn’t do away with my position. So I am talking about if I am bringing home this amount of savings. I think it is really important that I am working much closer with partner vendors to make sure that, together, we are showing a good picture for both of us."
BNP Paribas U.S. travel manager Lasse Leskinen: "I guess everyone is worried about their job to a certain extent, but [we are] working together with the vendors that we have and showing the value of our work directly to the department heads--and cost center heads--and showing what we can do and what we have saved. Reporting becomes a very crucial point."
~ Lauren Darson contributed to this post