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Continued from pg 31<br />
CASE <strong>ST</strong>UDY: BUSINESS TRAVEL<br />
memberships to gym and health club chains with a national<br />
presence.<br />
Employers can also provide their business travellers training<br />
in a variety of stress management approaches and sleep<br />
hygiene techniques. Cognitive behavioural therapy and<br />
mindfulness-based stress reduction training are therapeutic<br />
options that provide personal coping strategies and have<br />
been shown to be effective for managing depression,<br />
anxiety, and workplace stress. These techniques may<br />
also be useful for employers to integrate into prevention<br />
and treatment programs for employees who engage in<br />
frequent travel and who may be more vulnerable to stress<br />
and negative emotions.<br />
evidence linking extensive business travel to chronic<br />
disease health risks needs to be factored into the costbenefit<br />
analysis of the practice. Business travel can surely<br />
be educational, and even fun, not to mention necessary for<br />
many people; but the wear and tear resulting from constant<br />
trips may not be altogether worth it.<br />
If you travel for work regularly, it’s worth pausing to examine<br />
whether you actually need to be on the road frequently —<br />
and if you do, how you can mitigate the effects of stress<br />
and be mindful about your dietary choices. And if you have<br />
employees who are often between cities, you owe it to<br />
them to provide the education, tools and resources so they<br />
can maintain healthy lifestyles while on the road.<br />
Even with the increasing sophistication of conference calls<br />
and video chat, business travel is a prominent feature of<br />
many occupations and is likely to remain so. It will continue<br />
to be an avenue of professional advancement, and the<br />
opportunity to travel is often touted by companies as a<br />
benefit in their recruitment of talent. But the accumulating<br />
Andrew Rundle is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology<br />
in the Mailman School of Public Health. His research<br />
focuses on the risks for, and consequences of, sedentary<br />
lifestyles and obesity.<br />
<strong>ST</strong><br />
Courtesy: LinkedIn/HBR<br />
32