Small businesses are believed to be the lifeblood of the economy, and the more successful they are, the better the chances for an economic turnaround of sorts. However, a recent survey conducted by ON24, a virtual communications platform, found excessive business travel for trade shows and conventions is causing many small business employees to become displeased with their jobs.
“These results illustrate that Americans believe their work-life balance is out of whack, and that fuels their growing dislike for business travel, their resentment and their desire for control of their own lives and how they spend their time,” said Denise Persson, chief marketing officer for ON24.
Spending too much time on the road is affecting the behavior of small business employees in many ways. According to the survey, 75 percent of respondents have reported high levels of stress, while 63 percent report suffering from other health problems. Businesses that have unhappy employees often experience down times that can affect the rest of their staff.
“We have found that business travel can bring out the worst in us,” said Persson. “Our research demonstrates that our work and the resulting business travel put too much pressure on ourselves and our families.”
How to make business travel easier
While traveling for a job can be taxing, there are some ways travel managers can make life easier for their worn-out road warriors. Bob Diener, president of getaroom.com, wrote a guest post for SmallBizDaily on how to make business travel a little bit more enjoyable.
•Call home using Skype: Business travel can often cause a fractured relationship with a spouse or the fear of missing out of important events in a child’s life. By using Skype, business travelers have a free way to video chat with anyone they want.
•Join frequent stay programs: Road warriors that travel to the same city or stay in the same hotel often should enroll in programs that offer benefits such as late checkout, free gym use, newspapers and upgrades that can make travel less stressful.
