<strong>Travel</strong>ler wellbeing SOUL purpose How far should a company go to ensure the wellbeing of its business travellers? Catherine Chetwynd examines some of the latest measures Gone are the days when companies took the view that employees who travelled a lot on business accepted the job on that basis and they could put up or shut up. Now, traveller wellbeing is a serious consideration that requires taking a holistic view of the individual and is part of duty of care. It is also a commercial imperative – employees whose wellbeing is taken into account perform better; in fact, Nuffield Health reports that FTSE 100 companies that monitor wellbeing outperform those who don’t by more than 10%. In an article entitled Mental health: a state of wellbeing, the World Health Organization defines the condition: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Although a traveller’s health is ultimately the responsibility of the individual, they need to be equipped with the wherewithal to look after themselves so that the stresses and strains of corporate travel do not take their toll. Such strains include disruption to routine, difficulty sleeping, the crossing of time zones and associated effects of jetlag, too much alcohol and no exercise, eating badly and being away from home, friends and family. If staff are exhausted, ill, lonely, stressed and/or unhappy, they can hardly perform at their best, and that is before looking at consequences that include hypertension, obesity and heart disease, plus mental health problems such as burnout. All these things are highlighted in <strong>The</strong> importance of business traveller wellbeing in mitigating risk, written by Dr Lucy Rattrie for Drum Cussac, which presents a compelling argument for companies to care about traveller wellbeing as part of a risk management strategy. But looking after travellers’ wellbeing is difficult because it means different things to different people and definitions vary within companies as well. Someone with a strict training regimen may want to stay in a hotel with a first class gym, where someone else may prefer the more sedentary ability to stream entertainment on a device through the TV in their room. <strong>The</strong> requirements of a non-travelling employee will differ from those of a road warrior, and flexibility is key: “Even within that, there are different types – a 22-year-old travelling salesman, a 35-year-old traveller mum and a 60-year-old whose kids have left home,” says Lucy Rattrie. “Most important is for the travel manager to ensure the support they offer is tailored to travellers’ needs, so individuals can choose from a menu.” Often, small gestures go a long way and offering a company subscription to a meditation or mindfulness app might make the difference between stressed out and chilled out to some. “<strong>The</strong> cost is £4-£5 per month per employee and the benefit to mental health will far outweigh increasing the hotel rate cap by £10-£20 per night,” says Head of UK Marketing for <strong>Travel</strong> and Transport Statesman, Josh Gunn, whose company has a wellbeing council and champion, and promotes it internally. “It is also important to evaluate company culture and what will fit into that when you incorporate wellbeing. If you do something that does not fit, there is a risk it will be seen as a token gesture,” he says. Everything a traveller does has an impact on their wellbeing: planning a trip, booking it, doing it and returning home, only to have to catch up in the office and with family and friends. “A better traveller experience means greater engagement with the traveller and ultimately greater compliance, which is the driver to achieving a corporate client’s goals of savings, efficiency, productivity and visibility for both duty of care and supplier leverage,” says Vice President <strong>Travel</strong>ler Care UK for 14 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
<strong>Travel</strong>ler wellbeing Evaluate company culture and what will fit into that. If you do something that does not fit, there is a risk it will just be seen as a token gesture" THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM 15
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