Business travel equals employee happiness

A new study has revealed that business travel is key to employee happiness in New Zealand.
 
New research from Booking.com for Business, the website connecting business travellers with the places to stay, reveals that almost a third of Kiwis (28 percent) would rather receive more holiday than an inflationary pay raise. The stat is just one of many revealed in the study that identifies a direct link between business travel and employee happiness in New Zealand. 
 
A third of Kiwi respondents said they value “bleisure” travel over traditional workplace benefits, with almost half (49 percent) of working professionals saying that experiencing new cultures and destinations adds value to their job. 
 
Luke Ashall, New Zealand Area Manager for Booking.com comments: “Having opportunities to travel for business is increasingly prized by working professionals, led by the millennial generation. And more than ever, business travellers want to maximise their time spent in business destinations for both work and leisure.” 
 
Despite this, only one in five respondents feel their work and leisure time is very intertwined. In fact, 38 percent of Kiwi respondents expect travel policies to become more flexible in the future – calling for employers to be more accommodating about employees mixing work with pleasure while on a business trip. 
 
With 31 percent of respondents claiming they would actively pursue a new job if there was more opportunity to travel – making allowances for leisure activities on a business trip could be a key way to attract new talent. 
 
Globally, choice of accommodation is an important part of a holiday stay for working professionals, and a place with “local charm” is among the top three choices for all professionals (23 percent), in addition to mid-market options (31 percent) and places with all-inclusive deals (23 percent). 
 
The Booking.com for Business study surveyed over 17,000 working professionals from 24 countries, including New Zealand, across more than 20 industries to identify common trends and variations by profession.