Ford Health have identified in the qualitative analysis from our work with clients in our executive programs, that there is an association between wellbeing, coping and perceived relationship difficulty in family life for those who travel incessantly for work.
“Through active coaching over time and periodic evaluation, Ford Health doctors have been able to shift the impact of travel on relationships to a more effective and balanced status, that can be measured in terms of the leaders self-graded performance over time.”
For employers who rely heavily on the senior bands to make consistently good decisions under pressure, there is a derived return on the investment in providing coaching advice and support on travel practices which can trickle down to other staff who may also find themselves travelling.
Although communication enhancements such as teleconferencing etc are making transactions easier, Australian business culture still requires doing business face to face. It is so that the serendipitous exchange of tacit knowledge about customers and their requirements can be achieved. Hence many executives feel the necessity to travel has increased due to customer expectation and economic necessity to cover more territory to gain work or keep customer loyalty high.
A traveller for work may have either domestic or international transfers. We define travellers into domestic, international and global sub groups. (see forthcoming article)
A proportion of domestic travel is by road and public transport as well as flying privately and commercially. We exclude those executives and managers who have a regimented FIFO or DIDO occupation and refer to their health profiles in another summary paper.
At Risk Criteria
Within the traveller’s profile, Ford Health, classify the following as high risk candidates:
- Greater than 55 hours of work per week including at workplace,
remote office, hotel or home. - Less than 3 weeks combined holiday leave per year.
- Greater than 40 hours per month commuting/transit times.
- More than 100 nights away from home per year, sleeping less than
6 hours per night. - Remaining in 24/7 constant connectivity to smart phone or other
technology.
Within this at-risk group, we have identified three subgroups:
The most effective traveller is the small subgroup who “prosper”. Travel is an integral way for them to see the world, keep up with friends, relatives and acquaintances whilst completing work tasks. They are very familiar with the culture and activities of their destinations. They extend to their immediate family members in particular, spouses and children, the opportunity to accompany them. They are accomplished “tour guides“ of family in these locations, because they’ve taken time to look around.
“Prosperers domesticate the destination, by integrating lifestyle habits which not only extend to well regulated practices, they include such extensions as exercising with sporting teams in the away from home destinations and exploring hobbies, philanthropy or volunteerism.” We have found they also have well developed meditative skills for reflection and time out.
The Balancers, become increasingly conscious of regulating lifestyle to reflect more consistent and balanced health practices which may equal what they do at home. This includes regulating hydration, alcohol, sleep, exercise and relaxation components. Some will see friends and family whilst in a destination. They may explore the destinations where they go to work and could consider travelling in work hours or the night before to be refreshed for business the next day.
Survivors travel with only the smallest amount of cabin luggage, avoiding luggage lounges at all cost, accompanied by a propensity to use “red eye” transportation.
They eat food randomly anywhere they can access it, (it is not uncommon to hear that they eat food at home, in the airline lounge and on the plane in case they should perish in this age of abundance from malnutrition!).
Sleep is fractured and often poor quality, water hydration inconsistent, consumption of excess alcohol justified in keeping up appearances with colleagues and clients. There is no time for exercise. They ignore health signs.
“The coaching Ford Health’s team provides through one on one counselling, goal setting and behavioural change monitoring, has revealed that it is possible to assist many travellers to shift along the spectrum from survivor, towards a healthier status. However, in doing so an interesting observation has most recently been emerging.”
In the Surviving group, reactive relationship behaviour is more common, meaning arriving home tired and exhausted is not a recipe for a positive emotional engagement of families. Instead, both parties can become resentful of the absence and its commensurate intolerance of each other. This in turn corrodes the tolerance of the executives jobs intruding into all family life. Employers become the enemy.
Workers in this subgroup are more likely to react to this disrespect and reduce engagement over time with their occupation, alternatively they exit relationships and look for softer options.
Balancers on the other hand, have responsive relationship behaviours. An understanding of having taken time to look after oneself whilst away, lends energy to coping with the families emotional status. They are more likely to offer support and assistance to family than complain of exhaustion and be grumpy.
In the Prospering group, who are at present a small minority, we have observed greater intuitive relationship behaviours towards the relationships they are in. The families are more aware of what actually happens when travelling for work, due to accompanying their spouses, or understanding the destination and its nuances. This means executives with a personal sense of wellbeing and improved resilience, can share more easily and engage more thoughtfully in family.
As Ford Health have created a specialised skill in building resilience into leaders, we recognise that our tools and coaching practices have application for the broader picture of a balanced effective leader making consistently good decisions under pressure over time.
It is our belief as we prepare and support clients to manage their lives more effectively, the intrusion of travel and exposure to increasing
amounts of data and information that are required to make decisions, any incremental improvements to energy availability and self-governance can be the difference between making a poor decision or a good decision. Leaders who can set an example by managing their own health asset will in time be the leaders of those organisations that can future proof teams to cope with change, as this is occurring at a faster pace than ever before.
“The mental health management of decision making may seem peripheral to doing business, but Ford Health firmly believe after surveying our clients it is going to become the differentiator of how organisations make the transition to maintaining a profitable sustainable business in the next five years.”
We have continued to ensure we offer the basics of good medicine, physical health and lifestyle care, but our collaboration with clients to improve performance and productivity is now more than a discretionary spend, it’s a vital part of leadership development strategies for business.