According to a survey commissioned by the labor force travel booking and management platform Roomex, 75% of UK food and drink staff use personal funds for travel expenses as they face poorly managed travel, delays and stress, raising questions about the future of the sector.
Findings can be found in Roomex’s new Reinvenventing The Journey -Food & Drink Edition report. It was launched at Food & Drink Expo 2025 and is based on a survey of over 1,400 UK workers, including 110 hospitality industry staff who travel frequently, and 105 workers who book large trips for businesses.
75% of food and drink workers pay for work travel from their pockets 55% of hospitality workers have either left or considered quitting their job due to an inadequately managed work trip for one non-work-related person (34%).
Of those who do so, they wait at least a week, wait for a refund, and wait for more than a month.
In addition to reimbursable expenses, workers reported spending an average of £61.90 per day on unclaimed extras, such as activities that spend time while away from home.
One in every food and drink industry worker admits that he suffers from a decline in work-life balance as a result of frequent work trips, but one in four wants employers to give them more focus on the impact of workforce travel on wellbeing.
The report suggests that last-minute bookings, inconsistent cost processes, and lack of visibility into spending contribute to both financial inefficiency and increased staff dissatisfaction. Emphasizing that a wider toll workforce travel is taking on hospitality staff, 55% acknowledge that they have considered quitting their jobs because of the way they handled the trip.
Roomex CEO Garry Moroney commented: “The true hidden costs of poorly managed travel in the food and drink industry are not only lost or delayed, but also on staff morale and sustainability.
Food & Drink Workforce Travel Report is launching at Food & Drink Expo on NEC Birmingham from April 7th to 9th, 2025. Visit the Roomex team at Stand LL269 to learn more.
The report can be downloaded here.
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