According to an Australian business traveller survey by World Travel Protection:
- 25% of survey respondents are planning to add personal time to a business trip this year (making it a ‘bleisure’ trip) while 18% plan to travel more this year and work remotely while away.
- 23% plan to combine a work trip with a holiday this year to be more environmentally friendly.
- 17% have taken personal time during a business trip without informing their employer.
- And almost one in ten Australians (9%) plan to take a ‘hush’ trip this year where they’ll work remotely in a different location and not tell their employer.
So, what do companies need to consider when an employee undertakes a bleisure trip?
Rodger Cook, general manager of global security services at World Travel Protection, explains that individuals looking to incorporate personal time into business trips reflects an increased focus on general wellbeing – and possibly environmentally conscious travel.
But it also underscores the need for organisations to address grey areas in risk-management strategies. “For example, is the company responsible if their employee shifts from a safer hotel for their business travel days, to a hostel in a more remote area for the leisure part of their travel?” asks Rodger.
At employment and commercial lawyer Sinclair + May, director Allie Levine agrees health and safety, security and the policies in place are important. “The main thing to bear in mind is that just because an employee may be working outside of the office (or state, or even country), this doesn’t alter the employer’s duty of care to them,” she says.
Issues arise, though, around when work ends and leisure begins. “The distinction between work-related and non-work-related injuries can be difficult enough to draw when people are working from home – adding bleisure to the mix is a minefield.
“If burn injuries from employees making coffee while working from home can be work-related injuries (spoiler: they can!), think about the range of issues that might arise from people working wherever they choose. People might be more likely to be doing weird and wonderful things when on holiday, and if they’re doing it while on a work trip, you might be surprised by the kind of things you may be held liable for.
“Check your insurance policies and make sure you are clear about your expectations for peoples’ behaviour while on work related business, and when they are no longer going to be considered ‘at work’”.
Allie continues: “The other thing to be aware of is, if it’s ok for some, is it ok for all? If you allow some people to work from anywhere on their own terms, you might be setting a precedent that could come back to bite.
“When setting standards and guidelines about the kind of conduct that you expect, and how work is performed, policies and rules need to be applied fairly and consistently across your workforce. Given that flexibility is increasingly important to employees everywhere, thinking through and documenting what this means and what your expectations are is the best of making sure that all parties understand what is expected and required of them, and what employers can expect and require too.”
