Purposeful Travel can Improve Workplace and Road Warrior Burnout

First, the Problems in Company Culture

Work addiction is often looked at the path to success in company culture despite its long-term crippling effects on health and well-being, leading down the road to burnout

Work overload is overvalued
Burden of needing to do more with fewer resources and tools
Work more often and longer days
Poor leadership
Overly competitive colleagues
Advancement of technology trumping over human connection

Burnout doesn’t solely stem from the workplace but outside stresses and pressures attribute to it

Travel has the ability to provide balance and healing for the negative effects of burnout

The World Health Organization defines burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

Vacation isn’t a cure for burnout but studies support its ability to help tremendously

Burnout Epidemic

1 in 6 US employees are so overworked that they are unable to use all of their vacation time (Wisconsin Medical Journal)

1 in 3 British people struggled to cope at work because of depression, stress or burnout (Depression Alliance Charity, 2014)

Job burnout accounts for an estimated $125 billion to $190 billion in health-care spending each year
Harvard Business Review

Avoiding Burnout with Travel

Managers say the most compelling reason for time off is to cut down on burnout. Nearly 89% of managers agree that by using their time off, employees can de-stress, and improve their health and well-being, ultimately cutting down on sick days and burnout. (U.S Travel Association)

Taking regular time to relax reduces the chance of experiencing burnout.

Increased rest and relaxation can recharge the mind and body and boost creativity and productivity. Recharged people achieve these benefits more than their overworked and under rested coworkers.

People often try to avoid their stress by drowning themselves in even more work which leads to an endless cycle of work and stress and exacerbating burnout.

In addition to mental and physical stressors, long periods of work without vacation can lead to reduced productivity, diminished creativity, and strained relationships. Americans seem to believe that logging more hours leads to increased output, but respite deprivation can actually increase mistakes and workplace animosity—in addition to prompting or exacerbating stress-related illnesses.
Dr. Kathleen Potempa, dean of University of Michigan’s School of Nursing

Signs of Burnout (Mayo Clinic)

Managers should be aware of the signs of employee burnout so they can take actionable steps to help.

Inability to concentrate
Feeling like you’re constantly failing
Making careless mistakes
Reintroducing bad habits
Constant dizziness and headaches
Disengagement
Closed off and unhappy
Feeling undervalued , misunderstood, or not heard
Focusing more on side hustle jobs
No desire to interact with colleagues
Unmotivated
Lack of productivity
Low quality work results
No desire to return to work the next day
Feeling extremely stressed and anxious
Exhaustion

Causes of Burnout (Mayo Clinic)

Lack of control over schedule, workload, and benefits
Lack of necessary resources to do your work
Dysfunctional workplace dynamics among colleagues
Feeling isolated at work and in your personal life
Lack of social support
Work-life imbalance- too much work and not enough personal time
Monotony of the job
Combining your stress load from your home and personal life and adding it to your workload
Unfair treatment at work
Unreasonable deadlines
Unmanageable workload
Lack of managerial support
Pressure to respond to email and texts outside of workplace

Consequences of Burnout (Mayo Clinic)

Excessive stress
Fatigue
Insomnia
Sadness, anger, irritability, emotional instability
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes
Susceptibility to cancer
Vulnerability to short-term or chronic illnesses
Gastrointestinal issues
Muscular and skeletal problems
Substance abuse
Inflammation
Fertility problems
High cholesterol

Travel Can Benefit the Workplace by Improving the Follow

Happiness

Happiness is a predictor of results. When the brain is positive and people are working with a positive mindset, nearly every level of performance improves, including productivity, creativity, and engagement.

Happiness is infectious and there are people around the world and cultures where you can feed off of their joy and energy

Individuals who are happy are more likely to have fulfilling marriages and relationships, high incomes, superior work performance, community involvement, robust health, and a long life compared to less happy individuals. (The American Psychological Association Journal)

Most people work 8 hours a day, if we are unhappy at work, that means that we are unhappy for more than a third of our lifetime

If concerns over burnout are not enough to get employers to rethink vacation culture, an employee’s happiness with the company and their job is also influenced by how much of their time off is spent traveling. More than half of employees report being “happy” or “extremely happy” compared to a lower result for homebodies (U.S Travel Association)

When it comes to happiness with physical health and well-being, there is a 22 percentage point gap (61% to 39%) between mega-travelers and homebodies. In the era of increasing concern over worker burnout, this finding is a notable takeaway for employees and employers looking for ways to improve well-being.
-U.S Travel Association

Increase Cognitive Abilities

“…cognition is the ignition of productivity and innovation…” (Bill Wilkerson, chairman for Target Depression in the Workplace)

The psychological benefits of travel that that were founded in a 5-year study lead to increased quality of life and may also lead to improved work performance. (Wisconsin Medical Journal)

Disconnecting from Work

Important for managers and employees

Refreshed the mine with new ideas

Enables the ability to achieve a maximum benefit of the trip

“We avoid the fear of missing out by making sure that very little is going on.” “We all return feeling rested and invigorated,” said June Cohen, TED’s executive producer. “What’s good for the team is good for business”

Adopting an ‘always-on’ lifestyle and ignoring these natural rhythms of work and rest comes at a cost, both for an individual’s well-being and productivity, and for a company’s bottom line. But, when we do take the time to unplug, the results can be nothing short of transformative.
-Huffington Post’s Carolyn Gregoire

Work Performance and Productivity

Mental health is directly related to productivity

Promotes a thriving work ethic

Encourages upward growth and promotions

Breaks you out of your regular habits which can aid in making big changes and tackling your goals

85 % of managers who believe time off allows their employees to return to the office ready to work more efficiently and productively (U.S Travel Association)

A study found that 25% of workers felt that after their vacation, their work efficiency increased and their jobs were more interesting (Wisconsin Medical Journal)

Employee productivity increased by an average of 22% when remote working was allowed. (Telework Coalition)

The employees spending more of their vacation time traveling (not just staying home) may also be more successful when they are in the office. More than half (52%) of mega-travelers reported receiving a promotion in the last two years compared to Americans who use some (44%) or little to none (44%) of their time to travel.
-U.S Travel Association

Inspires Creativity

Creativity is related to neuroplasticity, or how the brain is wired. Neural pathways are influenced by environment and habit, meaning they’re also sensitive to change. Such change can include new sounds, smells, language, tastes, sensations, and sights which spark different synapses in the brain and may have the potential to revitalize the mind. (theAtlantic.com)

Increased quality of work and new ideas

Scientists say travel makes you more creative

Breaks creative stagnation and get creative juices flowing

Return to work and daily lives refreshed and ready and better equipped to handle whatever comes

International experiences and fresh cultural scenes can open the mind to creative thinking

Team members with an opportunity to rejuvenate, feel accomplished and return to work even more inspired

“Vacation is one of the few times, especially if someone has a full-time job, to be able to think deeply about a subject and create something new…Because many things are new on a vacation, it naturally encourages people to transcend their perceptual thinking ruts…which can be great fodder for new ideas.” -Bryan Mattimore, author

“I am most productive and creative while flying on planes. Most of my ideas, writings, or reading happens in the air. And I make it a goal of mine to always come back with an outline of a project or the start of a new idea for our company.” -Caroline Pinal, Giveback Homes

Examples of How Travel Inspired Creativity in Experts

The filters that made Instagram so successful were inspired during a walk on the beach that founder Kevin Systrom took with his fiancé while on vacation in Mexico.
Dropbox started as a simple idea that founder Drew Houston had while traveling.
Lin Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton, came up with the idea for the musical on vacation. He told Arianna Huffington it was “no accident that the best idea I’ve ever had in my life—perhaps the best one I’ll ever have in my life—came to me on vacation.
On a day trip to Verona, Schultz noticed the craftsmanship and reverence at each coffee shop. “In each shop I visited I began to see the same people and interactions, and it dawned on me that what these coffee bars had created, aside from the romance and theater of coffee, was a morning ritual and a sense of community,” Schultz shared in a company news release. “I left Italy absolutely energized by the culture. I couldn’t wait to sit down with the two remaining founders of Starbucks and tell them, ‘We’ve got to do this.’”
Writer and thinkers like Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, and Aldous Huxley, were greatly influenced and inspired by international travel
Creative directors of fashion lines consistently produced more creative-design outputs if they spent more time abroad (Academy of Management Journal)

Benefits of a Positive Company Culture

The effects of burnout can be contagious and the negative social well-being can spread to co-workers

“A negative working environment can lead to physical and mental health problems” -World Health Organization

“That renewed energy and positivity is contagious and can help the entire team be more productive.” -Lisa Evans, Fast Company’s

Cultural acceptance and engagement

Opens your mind and opinions, acceptance of others, broadens your views on the world

Increases your social connection and skills

Increases a positive workplace morale

Kindness and understanding of others

Interactions with other people and cultures

Spark healthy workplace conversations

Build purpose-driven workplaces to energize employees and customer relationships

(Re) build trust between business and society

Promote deep inclusion and interaction with others

Ensures team members to work smart and lead mindfully

Enhanced management structures

Capability to obtain knowledgeable insights from competing or potential markets, making your niche that much more competitive worldwide

Motivates you to reach work goals

Direct operations with clarity and effectiveness

Driving sustainable, high performance

Promotes open mindedness to new ideas

Exposure to other systems and work strategies

Work units evolve to teams and global networks and partnerships, get a better understanding of other countries and cultures

Feel more resilient, focused, and optimistic about work

People can unconsciously detect whether someone is stressed or scared by smelling a chemical pheromone released in their sweat. The smell of fear triggered a heightened response in brain regions associated with fear when inhaled by volunteers in a brain scanner. The research suggests that like many animal species, humans can detect and subconsciously respond to pheromones released by other people.
-US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Benefits of Work Flexibility and Volunteering Abroad

“I look back on that experience and think how incredible that my job not just encouraged, but provided that opportunity to travel and give back to me and every employee? And why is that so still rare?” -Caroline Pinal, Giveback Homes

“What if every Fortune 500 company – and even smaller companies like TOMS – did the same? Imagine the impact that would have on the countries and people they’d be helping around the world and in the lives of the employees.” -Caroline Pinal, Giveback Homes

Increased engagement

Workers who spent 60-80% of their time away from the office had the highest rates of engagements (Gallup report)

The Importance of Engagement

Enables people to be a part of something bigger than themselves
Return to work feeling inspired, motivated, and refreshed
Plays a huge factor in people’s decision to take or leave a job
Suits those who seek unconventional and rewarding lifestyles like Millennials
Allows for networking on another level

I’ve met amazing people and connections have had unexpected benefits to my business.
Caroline Pinal, Giveback Homes

People are more likely to be productive in unlikely places. Sitting at a desk under florescent lights isn’t inspiring or motivating for most people

Engaged employees are far more likely to perceive that they are paid appropriately for the work they do (43%), compared to employees who are disengaged (15%) or actively disengaged (13%). (Gallup Report)

Work Flexibility

Employees of various ages, not just Millennials or Gen X, are looking for increased work flexibility such as remote work options, business travel opportunities, and work-from-home positions

1% of employees say they would switch to a job that allows them flextime

37% would switch to a job that allows them to work off-site at least part of the time.

53% of employees say greater work-life balance and better personal well-being is “very important” to them. Even more so for female employees. (Gallup Report)

Attract and Retain Valuable Talent

Businesses are in a war for capabilities” “Every industry we study is undergoing rapid technological, demographic or regulatory change—driving a need for new technical and professional skills. As the economy recovers, these challenges become more acute. Meanwhile, skilled workers see new opportunities, and people will start changing jobs.
(Josh Bersin, principal at Bersin by Deloitte at Deloitte Consulting LLP)

85 % of managers agree that encouraging employees to use their vacation time can dramatically improve morale and cut down on employee turnover (U.S Travel Association)

The costs of replacing an employee are significant. Beyond the time a company may have a position unfilled, there is a cost associated with hiring, training, and getting a new employee’s productivity up to speed. The estimated direct cost of replacing an employee is as high as 50 to 60 % of an employee’s annual salary, with total costs associated with turnover ranging from 90 to 200 % of the annual salary. (The Society for Human Resource Managers)

“High-performing companies serve their employees just as well as they serve their customers” -Josh Bersin, Deloitte

“Smart managers create opportunities for people to use their strengths.”

-Harvard Business Review

“Managers can play a major role in designing motivating, meaningful jobs”

-Harvard Business Review

“People leave jobs, and it’s up to managers to design jobs that are too good to leave.” -Harvard Business Review

‘Retention’ may be no more than a symptom, but it’s something you should take seriously. In today’s heating economy and rapid shift in demographics, you’ll be competing for talent regardless of your industry.
-Josh Bersin, Deloitte

Consider the Real “Total Cost” of Losing an Employee (Josh Bersin, Deloitte)

Many studies show that the total cost of losing an employee can range from tens of thousands of dollars to 1.5-2X annual salary

Cost of hiring a new person (advertising, interviewing, screening, hiring)
Cost of onboarding a new person (training, management time)
Lost productivity (a new person may take 1-2 years to reach the productivity of an existing person)
Lost engagement (other employees who see high turnover disengage and lose productivity)
Customer service and errors (new employees take longer and are often less adept at solving problems). In healthcare this may result in much higher error rates, illness, and other very expensive costs
Training cost (over 2-3 years you likely invest 10-20% of an employee’s salary or more in training, that is gone)
Cultural impact (whenever someone leaves others take time to ask “why?”)

Talent Development

Management is afraid to hand over responsibility and workload

They are scared to have trust and confidence into the talent that they hire and train

“Trusting your people is the only way to give others an opportunity to make decisions and gain confidence in their abilities. If you don’t do that, you can’t be sure whether your talent strategy is working,” -Jim Moffatt, Deloitte Consulting CEO

“You’ll be amazed at what you can do when you’re unplugged—and what your people have accomplished when you plug back in. I can personally attest, you’ll be a more confident and better leader because of it.” – Jim Moffatt

Mega-travelers also report a higher likelihood of receiving a raise, bonus, or both than homebodies. Employees use little to none of their vacation time for travel were five percentage points less likely than those who use all or most of their vacation time for travel to report a raise or bonus in the last three years (81% to 86%) (U.S Travel Association)

Develop professional and leadership skills

Learn new strengths to utilize in the workplace

“One of the best predictors of turnover is whether an employee has had opportunities at work to learn, grown, and advance.” -Inc.com

“The most effective managers are those who help their people build jobs that fit them as an individual person, with the company’s goals in mind.” -James K. Harter, Ph.D., Gallup’s chief scientist for workplace management

“Managers win big by doing the opposite of most managers: Putting people into roles that fully leverage their talents and strengths, where they’re emotionally connected to their work. When companies select people who psychologically fit their jobs, they’ll be efficient, effective, and fulfilled.”
James K. Harter, Ph. D.