How to Improve Work/Life Balance During Executive Travel

Few things disrupt family life more than business trips, but research continues to show that they’re a highly effective tool for companies. At last count, 79 percent of road warriors said in-person meetings are critical to their role. They also said virtual meetings aren’t yet a good substitute, and that hybrid events don’t always provide the same effect. But corporate travel managers can create policies to improve work/life balance on the road, and we’ve rounded up suggestions on healthy habits to practice:

Keep Dinners to a Minimum

The Dutch have a culture of work/life balance. Managers strictly enforce an 8-to-5 schedule, and they usually alert workers with plenty of notice if they need to work overtime. As a result, work dinners are extremely rare for both natives and business travelers. According to Dutch National Eleanore Breukel, founder of the Intercultural Communication BV, “My advice would be to ask [Dutch] contacts to dinner [only] if absolutely necessary.” Regardless of whether your employees’ travel takes place in the Netherlands or not, opting for work lunches, breakfasts, and coffee over dinners whenever possible can ensure work/life balance stays intact.

Be Present

It’s natural to have your mind in two places at once while you’re on the road. But for frequent flyers who often pay visits to a number of sites around the world, staying focused on your current location can be difficult. Author, speaker, and consultant Eileen McDargh recommends making an effort to stay connected with spouses, significant others, and children back home. But she also advises to “stay…connected with your body. Be THERE. Don’t keep two watch times.”

Quality of Accommodations

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and Cambria Suites report 56 percent of travelers believe the right hotel is important to maintaining their health and work/life balance. The hotel is where most of downtime on the road is spent, and providing a work environment that’s conducive to productivity is key. Some 81% of business travelers currently use Wifi to connect with family and friends at home, and booking a hotel that doesn’t offer such amenities can decrease their ability to maintain work/life balance on the road.

Introduce Gamification

Gamification, the concept of using rewards and game techniques to encourage good behavior, is gaining steam as a way that travel planners can improve their organizations’ compliance rates. We’re all familiar with the concept in one way or another, which could be as simple as punch cards at the corner coffee shop, or metrics-based work environments. If you struggle to get travelers to practice good habits on the road, using a rewards system for exercising could be just the nudge in the right direction they need.

Quality and Value Matter

The results of GBTA and Cambria Suite’s research revealed little information in favor of luxury or high-end accommodations for improving work/life balance on the road. It appears that having the tools to finish work tasks quickly, maintain contact with family, and make the right choices on the road play the largest roles in work/life balance, regardless of the price. Market analyst Amanda Rogers reports that a third of road warriors are staying less frequently in high-end hotels, which can present productivity challenges due to lower quality of sleep. But as travel planners work to ensure that happiness remains high and spending low, it would appear that amenities are more important than an overall star rating.

The challenge for corporate travel managers is to provide their employees with the tools and policies to maintain better balance on the road. From booking with hotel providers that offer a positive work environment to encouraging that meetings be kept within business hours, it’s certainly a goal that’s within reach.

Work/Life Balance is also about not stressing about the little things you face daily like traffic, getting a great parking spot. Let the professional handle all this, you need to enjoy everything, get the most out of your every business journey and come back home leaving your budget spreadsheets at work.

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