Corporate Travel can sometimes be a stressful and exasperating experience, but Shauna Burns, Commercial and Strategy Director of Beyond Business Travel, has some insights on how employers and travellers can ensure that wellness is at the heart of every journey made on company time.
The Dangers Of Business Travel
It has been well documented that frequent business travel, especially long-haul travel, can have serious effects on a person’s health and wellbeing.
Research suggests that regular travelling can lead to increased stress levels, high blood pressure, the contraction of airborne bugs from airplane travel and a poor diet. Jet lag can compound the problems, leading to long periods of tiredness, mood changes and a drop in productivity in the workplace.
We have found that while our clients usually invest heavily in health and wellness programmes for their teams, some overlook the very specific needs of their corporate travellers. Usually these employees would appreciate additional support.
Prioritising Wellness In Travel
Putting wellness at the centre of your travel policy isn’t just about fulfilling Duty Of Care obligations either. There is a real financial benefit for employers if their maintain a happy, healthy and productive team. A 2015 survey by Quantum Workplace and Limeade found that respondents were 38 percent more engaged and 18 percent more likely to go the extra mile when they felt their employers cared about their well-being. 17% of staff were less likely to move to another job within a year if they felt looked after.
At Beyond Business Travel we believe in putting travellers first and our mission statement is: ‘Making sure you are at your best no matter where you are in the world.’
We recognise the importance of reducing stress, minimising disruption and making travellers feel supported and looked after at every stage of their journey.
We provide an instant alert service, contacting travellers and their team if any delays or out-of-the-ordinary events occur. We streamline itineraries, reducing wasted time in airports, choose hotels we feel best meet the needs of our client and provide an out-of-hours service for any issues that arise on evenings or weekends.
The team at Beyond have decades of experience in managing business travel. Here are some of my top tips for those keen to prioritise their own health and wellbeing, or those of their employees on the road.
Seven Ways To Reduce Stress On The Road
* Book direct flights and minimise long layovers and multiple connections where possible.
* Choose a hotel convenient to your employee’s meeting venue. Book one with quiet floors and good gym facilities.
* Offer employees the opportunity to stay an extra night, before or after their event. This allows time for rest, preparation and even tourist activities.
* Don’t automatically choose the economy seats. If an employee is travelling to complete a critical piece of business, do you want them arriving exhausted, or rested and ready to work?
* Hire a car for jet-lagged travellers who have taken a long-haul flight.
* Cut down on post-travel paperwork by providing a method for employees to record expenses on the go. Beyond Business Travel provide clients with an app which allows receipt scanning and more.
* Travellers should have one reliable point of contact to assist when flights are cancelled or plans change. This designated person / team should also provide advice on health risks, vaccinations, visa, passport requirements.
If you need advice or assistance with your business travel, contact Shauna Burns on shauna@beyondbusinesstravel.com or call +44 (0)28 9091 8863.