Change management for the resource and mining industry 

Why change feels particularly hard in this sector

Change feels harder here, because it is harder. "This industry is full of moving parts," Felicity explains. 

Travel isn’t always top of mind, and understandably so. It’s often seen as secondary to safety and production, and is rarely a priority for procurement teams, or even, a high cost in comparison to other areas of the business.

That lack of focus, combined with legacy systems and ingrained habits, means travel change initiatives face more friction than most. Teams are already stretched. Every new acquisition brings a different travel management company (TMC) and a different way of doing things. And the scale is daunting. Thousands of crew changes a week, executive VIP travel, charters, short notice shifts, and room allocations. "Unless someone is willing to take all this on, change doesn't get prioritised," says Felicity.

Overthinking change

There’s also a tendency to think change needs to be sweeping and transformational to be worth doing. But Felicity encourages small steps. "Change doesn’t have to be about the whole program," she said. "It could be hotel negotiations or increasing adoption of your online booking tool. Every successful change builds trust for the next one.”  This mindset is especially relevant in industries where travel isn’t top of mind. "Any swim lane or vertical in the corporate travel program can be optimised. You don’t have to tackle it all at once."

Leveraging local voices 

Change can’t be something that happens to people. It needs to happen with them. That starts by making sure any transformation aligns with the real needs of the business at every level, not just the top. 

“Never roll out a program-wide change without talking to the people who live and breathe the program," says Felicity. "The people who actually book the travel need a seat at the table. They know the program better than anyone.”

“Understand their challenges, bring them on the journey, and explain why the change is happening or why a particular TMC or OBT was chosen.” Said Felicity.

That means gathering stakeholder buy in region by region, team by team. What’s working? What’s not? What’s going to land well or land flat? On-the-ground logistics and cultural nuances matter, especially in complex or decentralised industries/regions. One of the biggest risks during change is losing good people, particularly when teams are already stretched. So, make sure they’re part of the process, not just recipients of it.

And don’t throw out what’s already working. "If your teams on the ground have forged strong relationships with suppliers, hold onto that,” Felicity adds. “That great hotel partner in Kalgoorlie or Papua New Guinea PNG can be brought into the new strategy or online booking tool. Change should add value, not erase what’s already working."

Establishing a working group

Procurement and travel teams don’t have time to manage disruption,” says Felicity. “And for FIFO workers or execs, these are people just trying to get to work or get home. So, any negative change, has a pretty big flow on effect to how people engage with a company. 

During change, everything is under scrutiny. It’s just the nature of the beast. Which means building trust through regular check-ins, open feedback channels, and giving people a voice is essential to success. “A travel council is a smart move,” Felicity suggests. “It gives people a forum to be heard and makes them part of the process. These people become your gateway to regular honest feedback and your change champions.” 

This is how a global energy company successfully consolidated their corporate travel program across 57 countries. By establishing a working group, listening to their people, and assigning key locals across their business as ‘agents of change’, this company transitioned 47,000+ travellers, bookers, and arrangers into a single program with FCM Travel.

Using buying power the right way

Spending big doesn’t automatically mean saving big. Many companies in this sector still miss out on value simply because they’re not using their buying power strategically or consolidating their efforts.

Often when these companies go to change something, they don’t fully realise the complexity that goes into a well-built travel program. This includes their buying power.” Said Felicity. “Often underestimating just how much influence sits behind their travel habits.

Market dynamics shift, traveller behaviour changes, and contracts that once worked, might no longer reflect current needs. Too often, we see negotiated rates go stale, fail to align with actual usage, or, in some instances, not even honoured. But as Felicity explains. “It’s actually relatively easy to bring together a company’s buying power, but it’s only effective if it’s being applied the right way.”

“Look at fare market share. As an example, what can an airline offer you, and what do you need from them? If you're sending 90% of your bookings to one airline but they're only committing to 20% seat availability, why would you keep feeding them the majority of your volume?”

A good first step to all of this is visibility. “Start by benchmarking what you’ve got,” Felicity says. “Review actual volumes, track how your travellers are booking, and compare that to what your contracts promise. Then you can negotiate from a stronger, more informed position.”

For companies that don’t have the volume to unlock better deals. FCM customers have access to a much broader network of rates and content. 

Digital adoption without alienation

While some in the sector are still booking manually, digital adoption doesn't have to be daunting.
"Train site managers, PAs, bookers, travellers, and relevant departments in what matters to them." Said Felicity. That support needs to be flexible as well. Some people prefer written guides. Others require a walkthrough demo or live session—webinars, in-app prompts, face-to-face sessions, whatever it takes. "Not everyone learns the same or speaks the same language. Training tools need to reflect that."

One FCM client in the mining sector recently shifted to a new centralised online booking tool and is boasting a 35% increase in online adoption. This impressive growth was supported by tailored training modules that addressed real pain points from the outset. “We didn’t waste time teaching them how to book a flight. They already knew how to do that,” says Felicity. “Instead, we focused on the areas they found frustrating. We asked about their pain points, showed them how the new OBT could fix them, and built trust by delivering real solutions.” 

Your people are capable, busy professionals who know what they’re doing. Show them the value, not stock standard processes.

Mitigating data and compliance risks

One of the biggest fears is losing critical data during migration or failing to meet compliance requirements or missing a travel deadline. “An important step to change is structured data migration,” says Felicity. “That includes traveller profiles, policy settings, and supplier rates.”

That level of detail also extends to HR feeds and traveller profiling. Understand who your travellers are, where they go, and how they travel. “Look at historical patterns to spot itineraries that need extra care, identify top travellers, and flag VIPs, right down to where they prefer to stay or what seat on the plane they like.”

Clear comms are non-negotiables too. “Make sure your people know exactly when to stop booking with the outgoing provider, and when to move into the new OBT,” Felicity explains. “This comms plans should include information on when to hold off on certain bookings and when to go-live in the new system.”

Cutting through resistance 

Change often gets a bad rap. But most of the time, resistance doesn't centre around the change itself. It's people not seeing the point or feeling unsupported. 

Show people the value. For leaders, it’s cost control and risk mitigation. For travellers and bookers, it’s a simpler, faster process. Run targeted communications and have conversations with people. When people know what’s coming, why it matters, and how they’ll be supported, resistance softens.

“And don’t disappear after going live,” Felicity says. “Define your success metrics, whether that be monitor usage, adoption, or compliance.” It’s how FCM helped a global mining company successfully consolidate its travel program, delivering measurable cost savings and an all-round smoother experience. “For them, success was defined by online adoption, changes, underspend, and international travel volumes by department. But success is different for every company."