Think you’re the only person who just can’t get caught up at work after being on the road for a few days? Don’t fret: according to a recent study, you’re not alone.
Of the 600 respondents in the study, commissioned by Kensington Technology Group and performed by an independent firm, 50 percent stated they require up to two full days to catch up on work upon their return from a business trip and 12 percent said they need at least three full days. All study respondents traveled at least once a month by air for business.
Travel was reported to take its toll on the physical person as well as on productivity; 53 percent of the respondents needed between one and two days to feel physically “okay” again and a little over half of the respondents needed that long to get their personal lives back on track.
The study also found that while nearly all of the business travelers take their “office” with them in the form of laptops, cell phones and PDAs, travelers still tend to work less on the road, either because they waste more time or because of the stress associated with business travel.
Additionally, two-fifths of the respondents noted that the stress associated with business travel gave them headaches, back pain, neck pain or sleeplessness; three-fifths of the respondents also reported significant fatigue from business travel.
As for how to diminish some of the ills of business travel, 25 percent of the respondents said they could get more work done if their traveling environment was less cramped and more ergonomic.