"THE
bottom fell out, the business just
collapsed," says Brian Robertson in
talking about the travel industry when the
pandemic first took hold in the spring of 2020.
Since then, there have been slight upticks
followed by further restrictions. And now?
"Now it's worked its way back… because of
the rollout of the vaccine, and the testing and
tracing and everything that it had last year,"
says Robertson, president of Direct Travel
in Toronto.
"For a while, it's going to be in a real up-and-
down situation, but I think as most major busi-
ness markets, with their populations activated,
that the demand is going to be there."
As for employers, "they're deciding that it's
time to start travelling… there's a lot of positivity.
But, boy, it's been a long, long road," he says.
Things are starting to open up, restrictions are
starting to ease, and as more vaccinations start
rolling out, and we start hitting those govern-
ment thresholds, there will be more oppor-
tunities for things to evolve better, says Nancy
Tudorache, regional vice president for Canada
at the Global Business Travel Association
in Toronto.
WWW.HRREPORTER.COM ISSUE 34.07.2021
THE NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Equality in a hybrid workplace
Leaders should ensure all employees
feel equally valued in a blended office
/10
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE…
DEATH FROM OVERWORK
Are people dying from working long
hours? Yes, according to a recent
study, highlighting the need for greater
controls /7
26 MONTHS' NOTICE
Though 24 months seemed like a
reasonable cap for employee notice
periods, a recent court case delivers
bad news for employers /8
BEREAVEMENT LEAVES
Dealing with a pregnancy loss while
trying to keep it hidden can take a toll
on employees' mental health /26
> pg. 2
Economics and business are reopening, but with
the boom of virtual communications during the
pandemic, does business travel still make sense?
Employers will find there are several issues to
consider, writes Sarah Dobson
Virtual bargaining takes off
While the new format made some
things easier, some labour leaders
weren't so satisfied with the new format
/12
Will business travel
ever be the same?
INNOVATIVE HR TEAMS
After an unprecedented year, we
celebrate top innovative HR teams
from across the country
/17
