Business Travel is great for business. Can it be good for the traveling employee too?
4 reasons business travel can be great for employees
Face-to-face meetings are more effective
Experience different cultures
Learn new skills
Build confidence
Last year, a lot of research came out about the negative effects of business travel. It’s not all that surprising, we have been talking about the negative impact of business travel on traveling employees’ health and well-being for years. But it can get a bit disheartening when you start reading all the stats and quite scary from a business point of view when you consider the real cost on employee productivity and loss. And while we try to provide positive, proactive tips for combating the negative effects, looking back over the last year it’s all been very doom and gloom.
There is one quote that we at Sanctifly constantly find ourselves referring to: Business travel is not bad; it is our travel habits that are bad. Business travel is great for business and necessary. Executives and traveling employees believe that 8% of business would be lost if business travel was ceased. And business travels can benefit greatly from business travel. On average US executives state that the return of business travel is between $10 and $14.99 for every dollar invested.
So that’s a pretty good argument for the businesses point of view, and it seems that businesses do not need to be convinced on the benefits of business travel. Business travel spend has grown year on year and is projected to reach $1.6 trillion in 2020. But are there any benefits for the business traveler? Yes, but only if travel wellness is made a priority. Here are some reasons business travel can be great for you, as a traveling employee.
1. Face to face meetings are more effective
In today’s high-tech world, it may seem like face to face meetings are becoming less and less relevant. As video conferencing and collaboration tools become more powerful and every company communicates online through email or messaging apps such as Slack you may wonder if there is really any need to hop on that plane and meet your customers or prospects in person? The answer is yes, after all business is conducted with people, not machines, and fostering and maintaining relationships is a vital part of the process. According to a report published by the Harvard Business Review a face to face request is 34 times more likely to succeed than an email request and 95% of people say that face to face meetings are essential for established long term business relationships. You can get more deals made and create longer lasting and stronger business relationships when you meet face-to-face.
2. Experience new cultures and different ways of working
Travel is a fantastic tool for broadening your mind and expanding your knowledge. When you travel for business you get the chance to experience new places, new cultures and different ways of working, all of which will help you build a more well-rounded world view. Interacting with and experiencing different cultures will also help to foster creativity, which you can then bring to your job. Research shows that business travel cultivated creativity and productivity, two traits which will help you get noticed at your job.
3. Learn and hone new skills
As much as I am trying to focus in the positives, there is no denying that business travel can be stressful. Things wont always go smoothly and sometimes you will need to think on your feet and take initiative to salvage a situation. While this can take a toll on your stress levels it can also be a great learning opportunity and help you to hone vital soft skills. Being able to handle stressful situations and make on the spot decisions is a valuable skill to any business and will help you stand out among your colleagues. Business travel also affords you great networking opportunities to help broaden your network and progress your career and bring bigger and better deals to your boss.
4. Build confidence
One of the most valuable benefits of travel is that it puts you out of your comfort zone and helps to build your confidence. We are all guilty of getting too comfortable in a situation whether that be in our personal lives or professional lives. The commute to the office becomes automatic, our everyday tasks do not challenge us, and we eat lunch at the same spot with the same people every day. Travel plucks you out of that routine and challenges you to adapt to a whole new environment. Navigating a new city successfully, understanding and acknowledging cultural differences and successfully building a business relationship or closing a deal will give you a huge confidence boost and help you navigate unfamiliar and challenging situations in the future.
There are lots of benefits to business travel, it can be a great perk to your job. However, if you don’t make your health and well-being a priority while on the road the negative effects of business travel will easily outweigh the positive. Make your health a priority with a Sanctifly membership. Get access to thousands of healthy airport activities all over the world so that you can make the most of your travel downtime and stick to your healthy routine while on the road. Freshen up with a shower at an airport lounge ahead of a long flight home or hit the gym at the airport hotel to help de-stress before continuing on your journey. Get access to all the healthy options when you are a member of Sanctifly. No matter how often you travel, we have a membership plan for you. Get in touch today an let’s discuss your healthy travel routine for 2020. Corporate packages are also available. Travel Well this year with a Sanctifly membership and make sure you experience only the positive effects of business travel.
