The Other 18 Percent
Despite rising salaries for more than three-quarters of survey respondents, some of those who were left behind have struggled to be viewed as more strategic. But they've got plans.
BTN’s 2022 Salary Survey showed a rising year-over-year salary trajectory for more than three-quarters of respondents. Some of those increases were large and some seemed vanishingly small, but still, the direction pushed this year’s overall average travel manager salary to more than $128,000. Not everyone enjoyed that same compensation boost, however. Nearly 15 percent listed their salaries the same as 2021; and a handful at 3 percent saw their salaries actually fall. Combined, this group represents about 18 percent of the survey respondent base, and their experiences are worth acknowledgement as the other side of the coin since the Covid-19 downturn.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Furloughs and layoffs were not limited to travel management companies and travel suppliers. Plenty of companies—and plenty of survey respondents—noted the loss of travel and travel procurement colleagues during the pandemic. James Thalman, a travel management veteran at training firm FranklinCovey told BTN that he mourned the loss of his experienced colleagues.
“The hard part for me is, in the last two years I’ve seen such a loss of great talent—people who worked in the airline industry, the car rental industry, the hotel industry, but especially my own peers and all the small focus groups where you can really share and glean a lot of information. I went to a luncheon for travel managers in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago, and out of the entire group of 25 participants I didn’t know a single one,” he said. “That was very surprising.”
Those who have left the industry, of course, would not have taken the BTN survey—so we can’t know how they’ve fared. We do know that some of those missing in action have found it hard to find new positions in companies that value their work. One such buyer, who has worked at a number of different companies in the past three years, was prepared for a layoff at their “former, former” company, though it took their boss by surprise.
“I’m not sure how she didn’t see it coming, but she didn’t,” said the buyer, whose boss was also laid off in the process.
That said, this travel management pro, who like other buyers in this report requested anonymity to speak openly, landed several interviews during the job search. But they told BTN the process at a number of companies was pretty demoralizing. One example, was a job the buyer ultimately accepted:
“After a long interview process, I finally got this call from the hiring manager asking me if they offered me the position ‘anywhere in this salary range’ would I accept,” they said. “I told him that I probably would, but that conversation definitely didn’t make me feel valued. When the company offered me the rock-bottom figure in that range, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. I actually asked them if they were sure they wanted me in the role.”
The buyer’s tenure at the company was short-lived. “The final note on this is that before I left, I helped backfill the role, and the poor gal who took it was getting paid even less.”
This buyer said the attitude telegraphed by that company wasn’t unusual. “I’ve built a number of travel programs for different companies. And these smaller companies, you know, they all of a sudden realize they need to have something in place, but they just don’t really understand the value of travel management and what needs to happen. A lot of times you can teach them and they are willing to learn, but sometimes they aren’t.”
BTN’s 2022 Salary Survey showed a rising year-over-year salary trajectory for more than three-quarters of respondents. Some of those increases were large and some seemed vanishingly small, but still, the direction pushed this year’s overall average travel manager salary to more than $128,000. Not everyone enjoyed that same compensation boost, however. Nearly 15 percent listed their salaries the same as 2021; and a handful at 3 percent saw their salaries actually fall. Combined, this group represents about 18 percent of the survey respondent base, and their experiences are worth acknowledgement as the other side of the coin since the Covid-19 downturn.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Furloughs and layoffs were not limited to travel management companies and travel suppliers. Plenty of companies—and plenty of survey respondents—noted the loss of travel and travel procurement colleagues during the pandemic. James Thalman, a travel management veteran at training firm FranklinCovey told BTN that he mourned the loss of his experienced colleagues.
“The hard part for me is, in the last two years I’ve seen such a loss of great talent—people who worked in the airline industry, the car rental industry, the hotel industry, but especially my own peers and all the small focus groups where you can really share and glean a lot of information. I went to a luncheon for travel managers in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago, and out of the entire group of 25 participants I didn’t know a single one,” he said. “That was very surprising.”
Those who have left the industry, of course, would not have taken the BTN survey—so we can’t know how they’ve fared. We do know that some of those missing in action have found it hard to find new positions in companies that value their work. One such buyer, who has worked at a number of different companies in the past three years, was prepared for a layoff at their “former, former” company, though it took their boss by surprise.
“I’m not sure how she didn’t see it coming, but she didn’t,” said the buyer, whose boss was also laid off in the process.
That said, this travel management pro, who like other buyers in this report requested anonymity to speak openly, landed several interviews during the job search. But they told BTN the process at a number of companies was pretty demoralizing. One example, was a job the buyer ultimately accepted:
“After a long interview process, I finally got this call from the hiring manager asking me if they offered me the position ‘anywhere in this salary range’ would I accept,” they said. “I told him that I probably would, but that conversation definitely didn’t make me feel valued. When the company offered me the rock-bottom figure in that range, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. I actually asked them if they were sure they wanted me in the role.”
The buyer’s tenure at the company was short-lived. “The final note on this is that before I left, I helped backfill the role, and the poor gal who took it was getting paid even less.”
This buyer said the attitude telegraphed by that company wasn’t unusual. “I’ve built a number of travel programs for different companies. And these smaller companies, you know, they all of a sudden realize they need to have something in place, but they just don’t really understand the value of travel management and what needs to happen. A lot of times you can teach them and they are willing to learn, but sometimes they aren’t.”
Not Just at Small Companies
The lack of education isn’t just an issue at small companies. Another former corporate travel manager turned TMC account manager who was furloughed, took a job at a sizable Midwest-based company with more than $25 million in travel spend prior to the pandemic. They took a $30,000 pay cut to take the role.
“I had never been unemployed in my life,” they told BTN, and said they had struggled to find employment that matched their “very narrow-focused career.” Even though they had transferrable skills for finance and other roles that travel management touches, the buyer wasn’t getting interest from employers in those adjacent roles.
So the manager accepted a procurement role at a former client company. “Travel had always been tucked into a larger procurement role held by my boss as one piece of their responsibilities, and they never had time for it,” the travel manager said. As a TMC account manager, this industry veteran had taken over that de facto role for the company. “They always wanted a travel manager but had never wanted to pay for a full-time resource,” the buyer said. Even today, as travel recovers “like wildfire,” according to the buyer, they aren’t investing. The open position was designated for more general procurement, with travel as a piece of it.
“Procurement isn’t something I’ve done,” said the travel manager. “So I was eager to learn and grateful to have a position. But it’s never anyone’s goal to lose $30,000 in their annual compensation.” The buyer said this company had always been cost-conscious, but with the Covid downturn, which also negatively affected its business, the cost-focused measures had become extreme. Plus, much of the work that could be automated is set to be performed manually. “
I’m calling people to change their airline tickets because I get a daily report of those who didn’t book the lowest fare,” the manager said. “It’s one thing to do manual calls when travel volumes are low, but we’re not at that place anymore. And my skills could be put to better use.”
Flight Risks
Our first displaced travel buyer has landed in a larger program as as part of a team that manages travel. They told BTN the position is fine; the remit is narrow, which is right for the pay level, but less than this travel manager’s qualifications should command. The buyer has limited visibility into strategic conversations and sometimes is bypassed with requests or business decisions because the buyer’s boss also has some travel background “so decisions are made without me. That can be frustrating.” The company also has hinted a return-to-office mandate will be forthcoming, however, and that may be the final tipping point for the buyer whose personal plans do not include that return. “My time here could be limited by that.”
Other buyers, who have been in their roles without experiencing layoffs, have experienced internal frustrations, which are pushing them to seek other opportunities.
One innovation-minded travel manager who knows their company’s travel program needs better data and at least some semblance of duty of care “that doesn’t cost much,” prepared a business case for the CEO and has presented to their boss several innovation ideas stemming from best practices they’ve gleaned from industry workshopping teams and conference content. They’ve seen all the suggested improvements fall on deaf ears, even after the pandemic when many companies put more resources into these critical areas.
“I have told the CEO I can get him any data he wants. I have asked what would be useful for him and made suggestions about the types of data that would be informative. We were even talking once, when he asked me something about personal travel, and I saw the perfect opportunity to shift the conversation to business travel. I explained some of the things I’d like to do [with the program]. I worded it very carefully, of course, not saying ‘roadblocks’ or ‘people are not being supportive.’
“He just looked at me with some surprise and said, ‘I didn’t know you were so knowledgeable. I thought you were just a travel agent, and I never understood why we paid you so much.’ That pretty much tells you everything you need to know,” said the buyer, who is pursuing employment at another company and is close to landing the position.
“This other company asked me as the final question in the interview, what I saw as the future of our industry,” the buyer said. “I answered that, of course. I was very excited someone was asking me that question.”
Not Just at Small Companies
The lack of education isn’t just an issue at small companies. Another former corporate travel manager turned TMC account manager who was furloughed, took a job at a sizable Midwest-based company with more than $25 million in travel spend prior to the pandemic. They took a $30,000 pay cut to take the role.
“I had never been unemployed in my life,” they told BTN, and said they had struggled to find employment that matched their “very narrow-focused career.” Even though they had transferrable skills for finance and other roles that travel management touches, the buyer wasn’t getting interest from employers in those adjacent roles.
So the manager accepted a procurement role at a former client company. “Travel had always been tucked into a larger procurement role held by my boss as one piece of their responsibilities, and they never had time for it,” the travel manager said. As a TMC account manager, this industry veteran had taken over that de facto role for the company. “They always wanted a travel manager but had never wanted to pay for a full-time resource,” the buyer said. Even today, as travel recovers “like wildfire,” according to the buyer, they aren’t investing. The open position was designated for more general procurement, with travel as a piece of it.
“Procurement isn’t something I’ve done,” said the travel manager. “So I was eager to learn and grateful to have a position. But it’s never anyone’s goal to lose $30,000 in their annual compensation.” The buyer said this company had always been cost-conscious, but with the Covid downturn, which also negatively affected its business, the cost-focused measures had become extreme. Plus, much of the work that could be automated is set to be performed manually. “
I’m calling people to change their airline tickets because I get a daily report of those who didn’t book the lowest fare,” the manager said. “It’s one thing to do manual calls when travel volumes are low, but we’re not at that place anymore. And my skills could be put to better use.”
Flight Risks
Our first displaced travel buyer has landed in a larger program as as part of a team that manages travel. They told BTN the position is fine; the remit is narrow, which is right for the pay level, but less than this travel manager’s qualifications should command. The buyer has limited visibility into strategic conversations and sometimes is bypassed with requests or business decisions because the buyer’s boss also has some travel background “so decisions are made without me. That can be frustrating.” The company also has hinted a return-to-office mandate will be forthcoming, however, and that may be the final tipping point for the buyer whose personal plans do not include that return. “My time here could be limited by that.”
Other buyers, who have been in their roles without experiencing layoffs, have experienced internal frustrations, which are pushing them to seek other opportunities.
One innovation-minded travel manager who knows their company’s travel program needs better data and at least some semblance of duty of care “that doesn’t cost much,” prepared a business case for the CEO and has presented to their boss several innovation ideas stemming from best practices they’ve gleaned from industry workshopping teams and conference content. They’ve seen all the suggested improvements fall on deaf ears, even after the pandemic when many companies put more resources into these critical areas.
“I have told the CEO I can get him any data he wants. I have asked what would be useful for him and made suggestions about the types of data that would be informative. We were even talking once, when he asked me something about personal travel, and I saw the perfect opportunity to shift the conversation to business travel. I explained some of the things I’d like to do [with the program]. I worded it very carefully, of course, not saying ‘roadblocks’ or ‘people are not being supportive.’
“He just looked at me with some surprise and said, ‘I didn’t know you were so knowledgeable. I thought you were just a travel agent, and I never understood why we paid you so much.’ That pretty much tells you everything you need to know,” said the buyer, who is pursuing employment at another company and is close to landing the position.
“This other company asked me as the final question in the interview, what I saw as the future of our industry,” the buyer said. “I answered that, of course. I was very excited someone was asking me that question.”
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