“Bleisure is especially attractive when accompanied by your partner. Companies can score points with their employees if they are flexible in terms of combining business and private travel”. Götz Reinhardt, Managing Director MEE at SAP Concur
Back home right after the business trip? According to an SAP Concur study, almost one in two people would like to take a vacation – and one in three has already “done” Bleisure.
According to the results of a survey of 1,053 employees in Germany, published in October 2018, exactly 47% would like to take a vacation after their business trip. Almost one in three business travellers find the Bleisure trip particularly attractive if they can take their partner (76 %) or children (25 %) with them.
Götz Reinhardt, Managing Director MEE at SAP Concur, recommends that employees and employers create mutual transparency for this “by clarifying formalities and the assumption of costs before the start of the bleisure trip. It is also recommended that employees have separate invoices issued directly for any costs incurred”.
Millenials prefer a business trip
Young professionals currently have the greatest interest in Bleisure travel. Among the 18 to 29 year old interviewees 44 % would currently extend a professional trip with a holiday. Among the over-40s, 25 % and 12 % of the over-60s express an interest in bleisure. This trend is also confirmed by the study “Chefsache Business Travel 2018”, an initiative of travel management companies in the German Travel Association (DRV) – denn: Young professionals are also those who prefer to go on business trips rather than their older colleagues. This is the opinion of 64% of 18 to 34-year-olds themselves – and is confirmed by 45% of the managers and colleagues surveyed.
Ein One reason for the high level of interest in business trips: Almost every second young colleague finds that his or her productivity is higher when traveling than in the office – even more than 20% higher say 37% of 18 to 34-year-olds. According to the younger generation, this depends largely on a stable Internet connection and a good working environment (93%) as well as being equipped with new technologies (91%). For 57% of millennials, smartphones, tablets and travel apps are the reason for higher productivity, while only 39% of 35-45 year-olds think so.
“Young employees attach great importance to a modern equipment with a company smartphone, laptop and corresponding communication apps,” says Andreas Neumann of Derpart, a travel management company of the DRV initiative Chefsache Business Travel. “In times of a shortage of skilled workers, young professionals and high potentials can be lured above all with these and other little extras”. Even at the job interview, travel guidelines and the goodies they contain are a topic for almost three-quarters of 18 to 34-year-olds, say the bosses – but for applicants aged 46 and over, this is only the case for around half of those surveyed.
The appeal of extras
The respondents to the study “Chefsache Business Travel 2018” emphasized that travel extras have a major impact on employee loyalty. First-class train travel and private use of bonus miles are considered important by 80% of younger people, but only 68% of those over 46. 86% of 18 to 34-year-olds would again like to have a say in hotel selection (older people: 65%). And 89% are grateful to their employer if they are allowed to choose a taxi instead of public transport (older people: 67%). Finally, 80 % of young employees are happy about the business class for flights of more than three hours.
“A first-class train ticket or a business class booking sometimes doesn’t cost much more, but in addition to employee satisfaction, it also ensures that work can be done better during business trips,” says Andreas Neumann. After all, almost half of those surveyed consider the choice of transport to be important for productivity. After all, it is easier to work at a table in the 1st class of the ICE than at the wheel of a car.
Sylvie Konzack …
has been observing a great affinity for travel among the younger business travel generations in both the professional and private spheres for years. Hotels have also targeted this group with a variety of new brands – with relaxed, creative community and co-working areas for team-oriented work with and among like-minded people.
Source: “Chefsache Business Travel 2018” (DRV-Initiative), SAP Concur
Photos/graphics: © iStock/DisobeyArt, “Chefsache Business Travel 2018” (DRV-Initiative), SAP Concur
