The competitive talent marketplace has organisations actively searching for fresh strategies to enhance their employee wellness programs. Yet, many are missing out on leveraging business travel as a powerful wellness tool.
When done right, business travel as part of a comprehensive wellness plan can make employees happier and more mentally fit and help advance their careers. This blog provides insight into how you can turn necessary business trips into something that benefits your employees’ wellbeing.
A change in routine: Getting out of your rut is good for the brain
Getting stuck in the daily grind gets monotonous to the point where we’re burned out and battling to stay productive. This is where business travel changes the game! The break from routine not only gives employees a chance to experience new surroundings, but it also teaches them to build confidence and resilience.
And even better, studies show that being in a new environment can reduce stress levels and improve mental wellbeing. And here’s an interesting fact: changing your daily environment alters brain pathways, which improve problem-solving and creative thinking abilities.
Cultural Intelligence: A wellness skill for the modern workplace
Working in a globally connected world requires cultural intelligence – a fundamental ability for professionals in the workforce. Business travel gives employees first-hand exposure that teaches empathy and adaptability, helping them grow personally and professionally.
As the writer, Mark Twain famously quipped, “The best education you will ever get is by travelling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences.”
The emotional intelligence developed from this cultural exposure leads to better workplace relationships, which result in fewer conflicts and a more inclusive company culture – all essential for workplace wellness.
Professional development you can’t get from Zoom
A big factor of employee wellness is professional and personal growth. People want to develop their careers and while virtual connections are great, nothing accelerates development like face-to-face interactions.
Travelling to client meetings, conferences and collaborative sessions all accelerate employee development through practical learning experiences that help your employees improve their skills and build their networks.
Work-Life Integration: Bleisure travel as a wellness perk
“Bleisure” travel is the modern trend of combining business trips with leisure time, and it’s a fantastic wellness perk for employees. When companies allow employees to extend business trips for personal exploration, they’re showing a real commitment to work-life balance.
This approach changes what could be a stressful business obligation into a wellness opportunity. Your team member gets to attend that conference in London and then spend the weekend exploring the city, gaining professional expertise and vacation benefits without breaking the bank.
Making Business Travel Work for Wellness
Here are some guidelines to convert business travel into a wellness-focused benefit instead of a source of stress for employees:
- Establish employee-friendly travel guidelines that show dedication to maintaining worker wellbeing
- Include relaxation periods in travel plans since they should not push workers to be productive right away.
- Provide employees with bleisure extension options during business trips when operational requirements permit it
- Add wellness resources to the travel workforce through fitness choices and health meal funding options
- Set up pre-trip and post-trip procedures that protect workers from disruption to their personal routines.
When organisations recognise the benefits business travel offers employees, thoughtfully executed business travel transforms from its basic business function into a powerful benefit which employers can offer their employees.
Business travel will become a successful component of employee wellness journeys when organisations understand that it provides growth opportunities, connections, and rejuvenation experiences that support both professional achievements and personal satisfaction.
With employees now placing equal importance and value on wellbeing and compensation, your approach to business travel could become a key differentiator in your talent strategy. Isn’t it time you took a fresh look at how your company handles business travel?