It’s no secret that happiness and productivity at work go hand-in-hand. When it comes to a business trip, changing environments and routines can affect employees’ physical and mental health, negatively affecting their work.
Counsellor, Georgina Sturmer, MBACP, teamed up with The Grand, to explore how employers and employees alike can keep healthy while travelling for work.
Try to stick to your usual routine
Travelling for work can sound pretty glamorous, but the reality means that it’s time away from our home, loved ones and usual routine. This means that we don’t necessarily have access to the things that keep our well-being on an even keel and that we may end up feeling tired, overwhelmed and stressed.
To combat this, try to make time for the things in your usual routine that make you feel relaxed and healthy. Activities like taking a walk, going to the gym, or relaxing in front of your favourite TV programme, as well as keeping in touch with loved ones, can help lessen the disconnect from your home routine.
Choose the right leisure activities
One area that is commonly overlooked by employers when booking travel events is the benefits of planned leisure activities. Whilst business travel is primarily for work purposes, there should also be elements to a trip which don’t fall under this category. This will help employees feel that a trip is not ‘all work, no play’, promoting a healthier work-life balance while travelling.
Filling leisure time with team-building activities is not only a great way for employees to relax, but it also promotes socialisation and collaboration between them and helps to bring them closer together – having a positive effect on future work.
Eat well
The stress of business travel paired with late nights may leave employees reaching for fast food, but when it comes to mealtimes, more nutritious options are the key to keeping productivity levels up and employees feeling their best.
Keeping your brain sharp and healthy is important, not just for your general health, but also to ensure you are proactive and efficient at work. It’s important to choose foods with good ingredients such as oily fish and omega-3s, as well as pumpkin and blackcurrants to reduce stress and anxiety through their high vitamin C content.
Remember – whole grains will keep you feeling fuller for longer, fighting away hunger and working to provide a slow release of energy throughout the day.
Take regular breaks
In our 24/7 society, it’s sometimes expected that we will be ‘always on’, and when we are on a business trip, it can be even harder to hold healthy boundaries. It’s really important to take breaks and have some ‘non-work’ time so that employees can retain perspective and avoid slipping into burnout
Whilst taking breaks may seem obvious, something that is often overlooked is the facilities needed to help people switch off during their downtime. Employers need to consider the facilities needed for workday breaks and see if they are included in the venue hire. Nowadays fast Wi-Fi access is a must, to allow employees to feel connected.
Finally, consider rooms with temperature controls, blackout curtains, low noise levels and high thread-count sheets to provide a great night’s sleep during trips.
The Grand, York, offers a number of meeting rooms and team-building activities to bring colleagues together while travelling for business.
Workplace Wellbeing Professional is an online magazine featuring news and analysis on a broad range of employee wellbeing topics, focused on a UK based audience.
