Published on : Thursday, March 8, 2018
Travelling for business can create obvious pressures but it appears etiquette surrounding socialising with colleagues and clients ranks high on the agenda when considering work trips. What is the best way to balance work and bleisure and what does ‘smart casual’ as a dress code really mean?
A new survey by LateRooms.com Business has revealed that 28%* of business travellers preferred heading back to their room to order room service, instead of socialising after hours with colleagues. This was particularly the case for the Northern Irish with almost a third (32%) of people who found choosing between what was expected of them and what they wanted to do, the trickiest hurdle to navigate.
Research also highlighted that over a quarter (28%) of business travellers from Northern England struggled when it came to decide who foots the bill, and whether they order the fillet steak, or be polite with a cheaper alternative.
The research, commissioned by the UK’s leading hotel booking specialist, also revealed that the concept of the smart casual dress code provided one of the biggest headaches for business travellers. More than a quarter (26%) of people struggled to decipher just what this meant when packing for a business trip, particularly those aged between 55-64 (37%).
Knowing how to navigate a work-related drink situation was more of a concern than understanding appropriate etiquette for a greeting or departure, with 25-34 year old’s (38%) being the largest age group who struggled to gauge how appropriate it is to order a large measure or shot when socialising with clients and colleagues. Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff were revealed as the top cities where appropriate alcohol etiquette ranked as the highest concern relating to business trip travel.
Alongside staying in hotels that are nicer than you’d perhaps choose yourself, complimentary food and drink and enjoying perks of the mini bar, adding on extra travel days to business trips was a key focus when traveling for work. 43% managed to squeeze in an extra 2-3 hours of leisure time whilst on a 24hr business trip and 41% see business travel as a perk of the job and would love to travel more through work.
Free wi-fi (61%), an onsite bar and restaurant (40%) and indoor pool (33%) facilities were the highest ranked considerations when booking a business trip with London, Edinburgh and the Lake District being the most sought-after places to visit for work.
Graeme Descoteaux, Head of LateRooms.com Business, said: “Etiquette and expectations of how to act when travelling for business can easily be misjudged, and it’s clear from the survey conducted that this is the case for many people. From knowing when to stop on the alcohol, to packing appropriately for every eventuality, etiquette continues to cause confusion for business travellers of all ages, across the UK.
“Thanks to the ease of the LateRooms.com Business offering, and the great savings available, luckily etiquette will be the only hurdle for our business travellers to tackle, as we can take care of the rest. With a wide array of hotels on offer across the UK, both bookers and travellers will be able to find exactly what they’re looking for in 2018.”
Tags: Business Traveller Etiquette