Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s (CWT) latest research shows that lost luggage and no Internet connection present the greatest areas of stress for business travellers.
Based on the responses of 6,000 business travellers from nine global companies, CWT found that there are three main categories of stress: lost time, surprises (an unforeseen event such as lost or delayed baggage) and routine breakers (inability to maintain daily habits).
Survey-takers were asked to rate 33 stress factors that occur at different stages of a journey (from booking through to transportation, hotel stay and expense report) according to the level of stress generated.
The illustration below gives the overall ranking of stress triggers.
The study found that business travellers were most stressed by losing time during their journey, with the highest triggers of stress being lost or delayed luggage, poor Internet connection, flying economy on a long-haul flight and flight delays.
The study also highlights how different segments of business travellers perceive travel stress:
- Travel stress increases with age and travel frequency.
- Women report higher stress levels than men.
- When faced with a language they do not know, business travellers from North America indicate greater stress levels than travellers from other regions.
- Senior executives report higher stress levels than travellers at other levels of an organization.
“We will be using the results of the survey to assess the impact of travel-related stress on an organization’s productivity levels. By quantifying that stress and its cost, we aim to help companies make smarter travel policy decisions. For instance, adaptive policies that reflect travel frequency or traveller demographics could improve traveller well-being as well as providing benefits to an organization,” commented, Vincent Lebunetel, head of CWT Solutions Group for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
This survey is the first step in the development of CWT’ s “Travel Stress Index”. Read the full report here.
