Food service staff paying out of pocket for work travel, with many considering quitting over poor processes

• 75% of food workers pay for work travel expenses out of own pockets
• 55% of hospitality workers have left or considered leaving their jobs due to poorly managed work travel 
• 1 in 3 (34%) have poor work-life balance due to work-related travel

POORLY managed travel is leaving food and drink staff out of pocket and under pressure, with many facing reimbursement delays and stress that’s making them question their future in the sector.

According to the survey, commissioned by leading workforce travel booking and management platform, Dublin based Roomex, 75% regularly use their own money or personal credit cards to cover travel costs such as accommodation and transport.

Of those who do, 1 in 3 (34%) wait more than a week to be reimbursed, while almost 1 in 10 (8.2%) wait more than a month.

In addition to reimbursable costs, workers reported spending an average of £61.90 per day on unclaimable extras, such as activities to pass the time while away from home.

The findings are published in Roomex’s new Reinventing the Journey – Food & Drink Edition report, which is being launched at the Food & Drink Expo this week and is based on a survey of more than 1,400 UK workers, including 110 hospitality industry staff who frequently travel, and 105 workers who book travel at scale for businesses.

1 in 3 (34%) food and drink industry workers admit that they struggle with poor work-life balance as a result of frequent work travel, while 1 in 4 (26%) say they would like their employer to give more focus to the impact of workforce travel on their wellbeing. For example, by introducing things like mandatory rest periods between trips or healthier food options while on the road.

These findings highlight the broader toll workforce travel is taking on hospitality staff, with 55% admitting they’ve either left or considered leaving a job due to how travel is handled. This is a worrying figure for an industry that is already plagued with high staff turnovers.

Garry Moroney, CEO at Roomex, commented: “The real hidden cost of poorly managed travel for the food and drink industry is not just in the pounds lost or delayed, but in the toll it takes on staff morale and retention. Staff are being left to cover costs themselves and chase reimbursement after the fact, sometimes for weeks. When people are already stretched, that adds unnecessary pressure and businesses risk losing good employees as a result.”

The report suggests that last-minute bookings, inconsistent expense processes, and a lack of visibility over spend are contributing to both financial inefficiency and growing frustration among staff.

Following the report, the platform is calling on employers in the sector to review how travel is managed, particularly for area managers, trainers and mobile operations teams who are frequently on the road. As well as consider tools that can remove the burden from workers while improving control and oversight.

Roomex is a free to use workforce travel platform which offers the largest selection of workforce-suitable hotels worldwide, exclusive discounted rates, robust expense management, and real-time visibility into travel spend, helping companies lower costs by an average of 18% on accommodation annually.