A recent Security Magazine article entitled “Business Travel is Tough on Mental Health” shared some survey results about business travel and burnout. One surprise statistic from the survey? More than twenty percent of respondents would consider switching jobs if another company offered “bleisure” travel. Yes, corporations need to consider the importance of employee travel security. Companies would do well to build a culture that encourages mental and physical well-being for their associates.
A growing number of employees each year is adding leisure travel to business trips in an effort to reduce stress and burnout. It’s pretty clear that happy employees are more productive ones. As the Security Magazine article points out, a significant number of the surveyed employees struggled with varying aspects of business travel. It seems like a fairly benign solution to allow employees the freedom to add some self-care and entertainment into their business travel if it helps keep them happier…right?
According to Relocation Magazine, “bleisure” travel makes a great recruitment tool. It’s a benefit that can help companies attract and retain talent. Along with that, though, comes a duty of care, as in who owns the liability? What happens if your employee heads off to foreign lands, for example, and takes off some (permissible-bleisure) time for a tour? If the employee chooses a mountaintop hike and gets injured, is your company liable for the injury? Let’s say your employee prefers a tour that includes stops at a half-dozen wineries. If your employee gets drunk and harms someone else, could your company be held responsible?
Supporting the safety of your business travelers matters when it comes to duty of care. Business travel can be risky enough, but when you throw leisure travel into the mix? Any company that offers “bleisure” as a perk should be prepared for just about any emergency. That means clearly defined travel policies that address expectations surrounding the inclusion of leisure activities. It’s also a good idea to understand potential financial liability for injuries or accidents related to those activities. By far the most important element of “bleisure” preparedness should be employee travel security and safety. A robust travel security program and supportive technology can help employees have safer, more enjoyable travels while mixing pleasure into their business. It’s already considered a perk, so why not add safer “bleisure” travels as a greater benefit to your employees?
IMG GlobalSecur Employee Travel Security Services
IMG GlobalSecur has decades of experience in the security industry. Our team of safety experts stands ready to help you alleviate travel fears with our corporate travel security services including executive travel security expertise and employee medical assistance. In addition, our FoneTrac safety app backed with 24/7 on-call security professionals can assist you in staying safe while away from home or office. Contact us today!