The Impact of Short Overseas Business Trips on Job Stress and Burnout

Antecedents of attitude and their impact on behavioral intention in the staycation context

The year 2020 and 2021 have been decimated by the pandemic, leading to outbound vacations largely scrapped. Staycation, a typical domestic journal, has then been adopted by those who are tired of self-isolation for so long. This study aims to explore and assess the drivers exerting impact on attitude of tourists toward staycation and the interrelationship among the research constructs is also examined. A quantitative analysis is employed for evaluating the roles of reduced risk perception, benign envy, and perceived benefits as they exert the effect on attitude toward staycation. An online questionnaire survey was used, and a total of 213 samples were collected from target respondents in Hong Kong, which were still under lockdown at the time of the study. The results of the study showed that reduced risk perception, benign envy as well as perceived benefits will influence tourists' attitude toward staycation. The managerial and theoretical implications of the results are discussed based on the significant relationships identified in the study.

Environmental perceptions of global business travel by Swiss companies in the Zurich airport region

Background: This article presents findings from research conducted before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on companies located in the Zurich airport region of Switzerland, regarding the needs for global business travel and its impacts. Methods: The study involved a mixed methods approach. Five hypotheses were tested using inferential statistics on data obtained from pre-tested closed questions in a web-based survey. Deeper context was explored through an interview-based case-study conducted at a Swiss pharma company. Results: Supporting alternative hypothesis 3 (Ha(3)), a significant positive relationship was found between travel frequency and business growth, F(1, 100) = 11.31, p = 0.0011. Supporting Ha(4), corporate culture had a significant positive relationship with business travel frequency (F(1, 100) = 15.50, p = 0.0002) and average trip length (F(1, 100) = 6.39, p = 0.01). And thirdly supporting Ha(5), corporate social responsibility had a significant relationship with global business travel (91%). Ho(2) and Ho(3) were accepted. The case study found that smart corporate travel policies and regulations should be instantiated to enhance our environment, which would also benefit employee wellbeing. Travel can be reduced significantly despite being demonstrated that physical co-presence is important for building trust. The case study suggests tools to support the monitoring and management of global business travel by organizations. Conclusions: COVID-19 has impacted travel for business significantly, and future research will be necessary to assess its impact. The article explores the ongoing research in this area, and several relevant implications are proposed for future leaders. The case study found willingness to pay both corporate and individual green taxes, and a deficiency in corporate communication around the environment. Business travel is needed to build trust; however, it can be reduced.

Environmental perceptions of global business travel by Swiss companies in the Zurich airport region

Background: This article presents findings from research conducted before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on companies located in the Zurich airport region of Switzerland, regarding the needs for global business travel and its impacts. Methods: The study involved a mixed methods approach. Five hypotheses were tested using inferential statistics on data obtained from pre-tested closed questions in a web-based survey. Deeper context was explored through an interview-based case-study conducted at a Swiss pharma company. Results: Supporting alternative hypothesis 3 (Ha(3)), a significant positive relationship was found between travel frequency and business growth, F(1, 100) = 11.31, p = 0.0011. Supporting Ha(4), corporate culture had a significant positive relationship with business travel frequency (F(1, 100) = 15.50, p = 0.0002) and average trip length (F(1, 100) = 6.39, p = 0.01). And thirdly supporting Ha(5), corporate social responsibility had a significant relationship with global business travel (91%). Ho(2) and Ho(3) were accepted. The case study found that smart corporate travel policies and regulations should be instantiated to enhance our environment, which would also benefit employee wellbeing. Travel can be reduced significantly despite being demonstrated that physical co-presence is important for building trust. The case study suggests tools to support the monitoring and management of global business travel by organizations. Conclusions: COVID-19 has impacted travel for business significantly, and future research will be necessary to assess its impact. The article explores the ongoing research in this area, and several relevant implications are proposed for future leaders. The case study found willingness to pay both corporate and individual green taxes, and a deficiency in corporate communication around the environment. Business travel is needed to build trust; however, it can be reduced.

Business Travel

Abstract. Control over business trips has been considered an important resource for frequent business travelers. Building on past research and conservation of resources theory, this two-wave study among 210 frequent business travelers investigated whether work meaning moderates the relationship between two kinds of control, job control and trip-scheduling control, and two important work outcomes, work satisfaction and perceived task performance. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that when work meaning was lower, trip-scheduling control was negatively related to work satisfaction and perceived task performance 6 months later. However, there were no significant interactions between job control and work meaning on the two outcomes. Findings support the reasoning that trip-scheduling control is of specific importance in the context of business travel and that this particular kind of control is not per se positive but contingent on work meaning and thus the larger context.

Children's Experiences of Time when a Parent Travels for Work

This qualitative study focuses on different ways time is experienced by children in families who face time challenges due to a family member's job that required work travel. Data are from a family-level study that includes interviews of all family members over the age of 7. Using grounded theory methodology, this study illustrates ways in which job demands and family processes interact. Analysis centers on the 75 children's perspectives from 43 families. Holding together assessments of having enough time while wanting more time with their parents, children express emotion, generally unrecognized by parents, around the topic of family time. Children's experience of time with parents is rushed or calm, depending on the activities done in time and the gender of the parent with whom they spend time. Findings are interpreted through a feminist social constructionist lens.

Crossover of Work–Family Experiences from Supervisors to Subordinates: A Position Paper

Work–family experiences, such as work–family conflict and work–family enrichment, not only spill over from one role domain to another but also cross over from one role occupant (e.g., a partner in a dual-career couple or a supervisor in a work setting) to the other member in a dyad (e.g., the other partner in a dual-career couple or a subordinate in a work setting). Review of the literature suggests that studies using crossover models in work–family experiences, especially in work–family enrichment, are limited. Rarely studies have explored the processes through which the crossover takes place. Moreover, not many studies have considered supervisor–subordinate dyads as units of analysis in work–family literature. With this backdrop, the present article aims to put forth a few propositions to examine the crossover of work–family experiences from a supervisor to his/her subordinates. It posits that a supervisor’s work– family experiences may influence the perception of family supportive work-environment and the perceived control over work schedule, which in turn may influence his/her subordinate’s work–family experiences and the latter’s subsequent performance. This article also explores the moderating roles of empathy and leader–member exchange (LMX) quality in the crossover of work–family experiences from supervisors to subordinates. A conceptual framework is proposed for further empirical validation. Research and applied implications of the conceptual model are also discussed.

“Keeping the family side ticking along”

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the work-family interface of two non-traditional forms of expatriation. The paper contributes to existing research by comparing and contrasting the experiences of international business travellers and rotational assignees, pointing out the similarities in their experiences but also showing considerable differences in how the work-family interface plays out in these two groups.

Design/methodology/approach

– In line with the exploratory nature of the research, the authors carried out a qualitative case study drawing on interview data with rotators and international business travellers (n=20). In order to get more in-depth insights into the experiences of these two groups of assignees, the authors also used the photo-elicitation technique, which corresponds with the recent recognition that the evolving nature of international assignments requires alternative methods of inquiry to enhance the understanding of the challenges faced by them.

Findings

– The study points to four major factors affecting the work-family interface: time spent away, unpredictability of work schedules, limited ability to exercise control over it as well as limited availability of organisational support. The findings illustrate that while these factors impact international business travellers and rotators alike, their intensity varies considerably in the experiences of these two groups.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is based on a single case study and a small sample which needs to be considered when discussing the implications of the findings. Future research can valuably extend and build on the here reported observations.

Practical implications

– A number of practical implications are discussed, notably pertaining to the ways in which organisations can mitigate the challenges encountered by international business travellers and rotators.

Originality/value

– The papers focuses on two groups of assignees that are underrepresented in the expatriate literature despite their increasing empirical significance in international business.

Work-family conflict faced by international business travellers

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct and moderating effect of gender and parental status on the relationship between international business travel days and work-to-family conflict (WFC) among international business travellers (IBTs) on the basis of the conservation of resources theory.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study was conducted among 1,366 Finnish people in jobs demanding international business travel and a moderated hierarchical regression was utilised in data analysis.

Findings

– An increase in the number of international business travel days and being a parent is positively related to WFC. Women with dependent children experience a lower level of WFC than do men with dependent children. However, a significant interaction effect between international business travel days, parental status and gender was found that indicates that the volume of travel days increases the level of WFC for those women who have children more than it does for women who do not have children. For men, increased numbers of travel days raises levels of WFC, as does having children, but there is no interaction between travel days and parental status among men. An increased number of travel days was least critical for WFC among women without dependent children and most critical for WFC among women with dependent children However, women with dependent children were able to travel to a considerable extent before their levels of WFC overtook those of men with dependent children.

Practical implications

– The findings indicate that organisations should pay particular attention to developing policies and practices that take account of the family status of the traveller. In addition, to assist IBTs to cope with their WFC, attention should be paid to the intensity of work-related travel. However, gender seemed not to play a particularly important role in WFC, indicating that organisations need not be wary of recruiting both men and women into roles involving international business travel.

Originality/value

– This is the first study focusing on IBTs WFC that simultaneously takes account of how the intensity of business travel and both gender and parenthood are related to it.

The relationship between international business travel and sleep problems via work-family conflict

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study well-being among the internationally mobile work force by exploring the relationships between international business traveling, work-family conflict (WFC), and health issues. In this study, these relationships are examined on the basis of the health impairment process of the job demands-resources model. More specifically, the study examines the role of WFC as a mediator between international business travel and sleep problems using a full panel design.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data for this study are drawn from Finnish employees whose work involved international business travel (n=868) and who answered two surveys with a one-year time lag.

Findings

– The results showed that international business travel in terms of the number of travel days per year, while not predicting sleep problems directly over time, did significantly increase WFC, which in turn increased sleep problems. Thus, WFC functioned as a mediator in the relationship between business travel and subsequent sleep problems.

Practical implications

– The results indicate that family-friendly HR policies and practices might help international business travelers (IBTs) reduce levels of WFC, which could in turn protect them from harmful health effects, particularly sleep problems.

Originality/value

– The study examines the understudied professional group of IBTs and contributes to the knowledge on their well-being and WFC issues.

Work Life Balance up in the Air – Does Gender Make a Difference between Female and Male International Business Travelers?

Managing work-life balance (WLB) has become an issue for both employees and HR departments since WLB tensions may reduce performance, overall job satisfaction and finally, increase the fluctuation rate. Having a balance between job and non-work is a particular challenge for international business travelers, but research on this topic is still in its very infancy. The aim of this article and its underlying qualitative study was to discover factors that influence WLB of those employees, and to explore potential differences among male and female. The results clearly show a big difference in the perception of factors influencing WLB depending on the family situation. This highlights the need of HR departments to offer individually tailored support for the different groups of international business travelers.