This text is part of the special Business Tourism section
The welfare economy is doing very, very well. According to the non-profit Global Wellness Institute, spending on exercise, stress reduction, healthy eating and complementary medicine — among others — totaled $4.4 trillion at the time. on a global scale in 2020. It’s no surprise that employers, who are currently competing for employees, are watching this trend with interest. In fact, $49 billion was spent on “workplace wellness” in 2020 to encourage workers to adopt healthier lifestyles, according to the American NPO.
Business travel is also affected by the wellness fever. “Well-being in a business tourism context affects dimensions that are directly linked to the lifestyles of those who travel,” explains Amélie Racine, analyst at the Air Transat Chair of Tourism at the School of Sciences. of the management of UQAM. She observes that it is now common, when traveling, to do everything to maintain the lifestyle habits that we have at home. Whether we are in Paris or Tokyo, we will make sure to do our morning jog and get our eight hours of sleep every night.
It remains for employers to create opportunities so that healthy living remains possible, despite the demands of travel. “In an event context, we are sometimes overstimulated,” cites the analyst as an example. In response, a solution is emerging: the reduction of diaries. “We leave more space, we start the day later and we finish it earlier. This leaves time for human connection, which is the main reason for traveling: we want to meet our clients, people who work in the same industry as us,” emphasizes M.me Root. By freeing up schedules, we allow visitors to indulge in an activity that they have particularly missed in recent years of the pandemic: in-person networking.
Well-being without borders
What does a well-being conference look like? In the morning, we may see sports activities on the schedule, such as yoga classes or group running sessions accompanied by a specialized instructor. At mealtime, the menu offered will be healthy and balanced and will include fresh, seasonal local products. “Quiet zones” with comfortable couches will be set up on the main floor, to allow people to take a break from the hustle and bustle. Once 5 to 7 comes, the waiters will walk around with cabarets filled with mocktails — non-alcoholic cocktails — or lightly alcoholic drinks.
Another place where employers try to take care of their teams: during work activities team building. “More and more spas are offering packages for teleworkers,” notes Amélie Racine. We take a few members of the team, or even the entire team if we are a small company, and we go on a retreat. In a spa, you can combine moments of work with moments of relaxation all together,” she says.
Some teleworkers are also attracted by the fashion of greendesking, where we move our office outside, in nature. The Société des establishments de plein air du Québec (SEPAQ) even offers outdoor “offices” and packages including high-speed Internet connection and unlimited coffee. “It still remains rather marginal,” moderates the analyst, however, adding that we are still far from seeing things normalize.
More popular, the bleisure popular for several years. A contraction of “business” and “leisure”, fans will take advantage of the opportunity of a business trip to extend their stay by a few days and to visit a new corner of the world. “It feels good to stay somewhere, to have time to discover a place and its culture,” says Amélie Racine. Rather than rushing to the airport once the event is over, we can leisurely explore a museum or discover a unique culinary culture that we might otherwise have missed. “We are always in an emergency. THE bleisure is good for balance,” observes the analyst.
When we think about well-being “it is inevitable to talk about physical, mental and emotional health,” notes Amélie Racine. Work-life balance, stress management, healthy eating and opportunities for physical exercise: employees today want to take care of themselves. Companies that want to keep them in their ranks have no choice but to listen to them.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.