For many, travelling for work is a daily occurance, whether that is commuting to the office, or traveling to and from meetings, and whilst it is often part and parcel a new report has revealed that it is taking its toll on people across the UK. Survey data collected by Capita Travel and Events, shows that a third of people in the UK have felt ill or suffered from a lack of sleep as a result of travelling for work.
Business travel isn’t all doom and gloom, there are some people that do enjoy it, however, when you are having to travel 100+ miles on a regular basis it can definitely take its toll. Rush hour traffic is a damning reality for the majority of business travellers, and just another aspect of work related travel that can negatively impact life outside of their work hours.
The survey data unveils the significant impacts business travel is having on those who are having to endure it regularly…
- 41% of people end up working beyond their core hours when travelling for work
- Almost half (47%) of business travellers get takeaways on their way home when travelling for work
- 27% of business travellers said they had arrived at a meeting to find out it wasn’t necessary for them to attend
- One in six workers have said travelling to and from meetings affects their mental health
It would be silly to suggest people stop travelling for work as some level of travel is always going to be necessary, but what is important is working towards smarter working principles that can allow employees to fit business travel into their lives better to help reduce the impact it is having on their mental health.
Capita Travel and Event’s behavioural psychologist Jonti Dalal-Small has commented on the side effects which come with business travel and how these can be mitigated:
“For many, business travel used to be thrilling – but for most people it’s now a real chore. Rather than be an adventure, it causes dread, uncertainty and all sorts of problems.
“Whether you enjoy travel is linked to whether you have a sense of purpose about your job. Our survey highlights how many people travel to meetings without understanding why the meeting has been called or why they are needed.
“To support organisations overcome these challenges, we are the first travel management company to shift our business focus and introduce roles dedicated to understanding behaviour and improving travelling wellbeing. By making employee welfare a priority, implementing the principles of smarter working and reducing unnecessary travel, you can increase employee engagement and will see a reduction in expenditure too.”
