Last updated May 13, 2024
Business travel certainly gets a bad rap with its work hard, play hard mentality. So it’s no surprise for those road warriors who travel as part of their job that the odds are stacked against them.
Just how bad can business travel be for your health? For one, business travel often falls short when it comes to health practices. You know, perpetuating unhealthy diets, lack of exercise and poor sleeping habits.
How many times have you imagined those good intentions only to lapse into overindulgence (because it’s on the company tab)?
Well, you shouldn’t let business travel dictate your health and wellness.
Fortunately, attitudes and perspectives are changing. Employers are finally realizing the value of employee well-being while on a business trip.
As a result, many employers are now taking an active role and finding ways to balance work with wellness. Employees shouldn’t have to give up healthy habits while travelling for work, right?
Business Travel and Employee Health
Travel can already be stressful but even more so for business travelers. According to a survey commissioned by BCD Travel, only 51% of business travelers feel that their company provides traveler well-being support.
If you are a regular business traveler, you are well aware at how difficult it can be to balance work with wellness.
Flight or travel interruptions cause major delays, disruptions in schedules and notable frustrations. These tend to contribute to unnecessary stress that somehow snowball into negative attitudes and unhealthy behavior.
Likewise, business travel frequently causes disturbances in sleep patterns, whether from jet lag or simply an uncomfortable bed, as well as in eating and exercise habits due to a frantic schedule riddled with early mornings, late nights and non-stop meetings.
It’s not surprising then that millions of business travelers struggle to balance work with wellness effectively.
Business Travel and Company Health
In addition to personal health and well-being affected by business travel, companies also suffer when their employees fail to balance work with wellness activities.
As travel-related stress increases, conditions such as depression and anxiety become more prevalent, negatively impacting work performance. Similarly, lack of sleep can reduce the ability to pay attention and concentrate.
More directly, poor work and wellness initiatives hinder corporate success. Therefore, employers and HR departments should invest in strategies that reduce absenteeism and lower medical health care costs, which undoubtedly will increase employee retention and productivity.
Employers Can Get in On the Action
With work-life balance ranking high among employee priorities, travel policies are taking on a new level of significance.
Business travel packages offered by employers in the past were considered a minor “carrot” when attracting potential employees. This is no longer the case.
Today’s corporate travel planners strive to balance work with wellness activities in an attempt to attract new recruits.
Several steps can be taken by employers to balance work with wellness. Business travelers want greater flexibility in how they travel and where they stay—asking for direct routes and accommodations with a health and wellness component.
This is the future of business travel—companies re-examining their policies where both employers and employees can reap the rewards by balancing work with wellness.
About Vacayou
At Vacayou [pronounced VACAY – YOU], we believe that travel has the power to change lives. The power to revive, rejuvenate and redirect your inner wellness warrior. And that’s why we’re here. Vacayou brings the world of wellness travel to you!
No matter how far or how adventurous, our team scours the globe to curate the best in wellness travel. But the booking process can often be time-consuming and complicated. We’ve made it much easier for you to search, discover, and book wellness and active vacations. With Vacayou’s Instant Book, your dream wellness getaway is now just one click away.
Start the trip of your lifetime today, with Vacayou. We are here to help create a healthier global community through wellness and active travel.
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