The Business Travel Magazine June/July 2019

ARRIVALS
EVENT REPORT
Traveller Wellbeing Conference
Healthy outlook
The first Business Traveller Wellbeing
Conference took place in London in April,
where The Business Travel Magazine was
media partner. Andy Hoskins reports
At the first event of its kind in the business
travel industry, a diverse line-up of speakers
delivered practical advice to help educate,
inform and shape delegates’ corporate
travel programmes.
“Wellbeing is no longer niche,” said Steve
Dunne of Well Intelligence. “It is mainstream
and it will change the way we talk about
everything. The next generation of employees
is joining the workforce and is being so
much more demanding around wellbeing.
And there is growing evidence that better
wellbeing means a stronger economy.”
Andy Neilson of Twisted Orange shared
his story of deteriorating mental health as
a high-flying procurement professional,
advising attendees to lookout for vulnerable
people within their own organisations.
“I thought I was in control, a role model,
confident and invincible… but in reality I
was scared, miserable, unproductive and
uncommunicative,” he said. “I was tired and
exhausted all the time and I didn’t know
who to talk to.”
Now on the road to recovery, he said:
“If you have business travellers in your
organisation then there will be people there
with problems. Unfortunately I don’t think
the stigma of mental health will go so you
have to build in the fact your travellers
probably won’t ask for help.”
Matthew Holman of Simpila highlighted
research that shows one in four adults will
have a diagnosed mental illness each year,
yet only 20% of business travellers with
mental illness tell their employer. Holman
said that in 20 years as a regular business
traveller there were two questions he was
never asked. “Firstly, nobody ever asked me
if I was fit to travel – it was the expectation
that you have to go. And secondly, nobody
ever asked how I was when I got back.”
Meanwhile, sleep expert Rachel
McGuinness of Wake Up with Zest said that
some research has indicated that every time
zone crossed during a flight equates to one
day until you feel fully fit again, highlighting
the impact of long-haul travel.
ON THE BEAT
Ever considered
monitoring
employees’ Heart
Rate Variability
(HRV) to assess an
individual’s health?
Tim Wright of First
Beat explained how
to go about it – and
why it’s growing in
popularity
SLEEP TALK
“SLEEP DEPRIVATION
IS A PRECURSOR
TO DEPRESSION, HIGH
BLOOD PRESSURE,
STROKE, HEART DISEASE
– AND WORSE”
Sleep expert Rachel McGuinness,
Chief Vitality Officer at
Wake Up with Zest
SUPPORTING ACTS
The Business Traveller
Wellbeing Conference was
organised by The Business
Travel Network in
partnership with
Amber Road,
Virgin Atlantic,
Melia Hotels,
ANA and
South Western
Railways
36 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM