“There’s definitely a dark side to this hyper-mobile lifestyle”
record psychological wellbeing scores substantially below the norm. Low psychological wellbeing is linked to poorer performance and productivity, and to long- term physical health problems.”
THE GLAMOUR MYTH The persistent myth of the ‘glamour’ of travel means that the ‘dark side’ is often ignored, according to a recent study from the University of Surrey. “A man in a sharp suit, reclining in a leather chair, laptop open in front of him, a smiley stewardess serving a scotch and soda – this is often the image of travel, particularly business travel portrayed in TV ads and glossy magazines,” says Dr Scott Cohen, head of the Tourism & Events department at Surrey University. “But there is a dark side to this glamourised, hyper- mobile lifestyle that the media and society ignores. The level of physiological, physical and societal stress that frequent travel places on individuals has potentially serious and long-term negative effects that range from the breaking down of family relationships, to changes in our genes due to lack of sleep. “The reality is that most people who are
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
required to engage in frequent travel suffer high levels of stress, loneliness and long- term health problems.” Yet the ‘glamour’ myth persists – 30 per
cent of millennials say they would take a lower paid job if it meant they got to travel more for work, according to a 2017 survey for
Booking.com. And not every employee finds travel stressful – for some, work trips provide respite from routine and a pressured work environment, and offer a welcome change of perspective, as well as the chance to explore a new part of the world and make global contacts. In a recent survey for American Express, 45 per cent said they would prefer to travel and do business face-to-face rather than use technology to do it virtually. But anecdotal evidence suggests that
this positive mindset declines in seasoned travellers, those who can’t rely on the ‘novelty value’ to shore up resilience against the increased stress of modern travel. A lack of control over decision-making
while they are away, or feeling that their views are not listened to, can lead to frustration for frequent travellers, says Robertson, who co-authored the Frequent
Traveller Well-Being Report from the Global Business Travel Association’s Project Icarus. “In an uncertain job market, employees can also feel like they lack control over where and when they travel, and that they’ve lost the ability to refuse without career damage.” Not surprisingly, stress also rises if
a traveller thinks a trip is unnecessary. “When you are doing something like going away from home, being away from people that you care about, going into an alien environment and experiencing all the stress of travel, it needs to feel like you are doing it for a good reason, because it is taking all your time and you can’t get away from that.” “A good travel policy should not be too prescriptive on how and when journeys should be made. Giving employees some ‘say’ in the journey will pay dividends,” adds Robertson.
GUILT FACTOR But it’s not just stress that undermines frequent travellers’ wellbeing – they also have to deal with loneliness and separation from their loved ones. Guilt can hugely exacerbate stress for parents who may
BBT May/June 2017 55
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136