October 3, 2023

One in three suffers business travel fatigue

A third of business travellers in the UK have felt ill or suffered from lack of sleep as a result of travelling for work, according to new research from Capita Travel and Events.

The TMC carried out the survey in support of its Unnoticed Impact of Business Travel report, which explores how the UK workforce feels about the culture of business travel.

It revealed that 33% of business travellers have experienced sleep deprivation as a result of travelling to meetings, and one in six workers said travelling to and from meetings affects their mental health.

According to the poll, travelling for work affects people’s personal lives too with 41% of respondents saying they end up working beyond their core hours, and 24% admitting they had an argument with their partner due to early starts or late finishes.

Among the findings, more than a quarter (27%) said they had arrived at a meeting to find out it wasn’t necessary for them to attend.

Capita Travel and Event’s Behavioural Psychologist, Jonti Dalal-Small, says: “Whether you enjoy travel is linked to whether you have a sense of purpose about your job. Our survey highlights how many people travel to meetings without understanding why the meeting has been called or why they are needed.

“To support organisations to overcome these challenges, we are the first travel management company to shift our business focus and introduce roles dedicated to understanding behaviour and improving travelling wellbeing.

“By making employee welfare a priority, implementing the principles of smarter working and reducing unnecessary travel, you can increase employee engagement and will see a reduction in expenditure too.”

Capita’s Unnoticed Impact of Business Travel report is available to download here: capitatravelevents.co.uk/impact-of-business-travel/

capitatravelandevents.co.uk

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