Bleisure trips | Is this rising trend something HR should be worried about?

A recent news story whereby a Citibank employee was sacked after expensing his partner’s lunch whilst on a work trip has shed light on an interesting question: Is it ever ok for employees to make work trips into a holiday?

Likely, this worker thought their business trip to Amsterdam would be a great opportunity for their partner to join, so they can spend time in the city in the evenings when he wasn’t working. But it can be difficult for employees to know where the boundaries between work and play are on this type of trip.

Dubbed ‘bleisure trip’, this business turned leisure trip can be a way for employees to get a holiday into their diary without having to fork out on travel. Some staff members might take annual leave on either side of the trip, whilst others will use their time outside of work hours to explore the trip destination.

Who is the bleisure traveller?

Young workers are the most likely to engage in bleisure travel, likely because of their lifestyles, not having to concern themselves with child care necessarily. Research suggests that 48% of ‘bleisure’ travellers – those who make business trips leisurely experiences - are between the ages of 22 and 35. Clearly, Millennials and Gen Z workers want more opportunities to travel and work abroad, with seven out of ten UK workers saying they have plans to work in a different country as a ‘digital nomad’.