Business travel might not be so good for your employees’ health. Highlighting this fact, the Harvard Business Review has published a detailed account reviewing how working away from home can negatively impact health. The article suggests that poor diet, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep, anxiety, etc., can all contribute to a wide range of physical and mental health problems. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
At Coppergate SA, we believe that every employee deserves to feel safe, secure, and comfortable when they are working away from home, enabling them to make more healthy lifestyle choices. For any reputable employer, these three basic principles should be non-negotiable.
Making sure your employees feel safe, secure, and comfortable is more than just a mark of respect due to people making real sacrifices (time spent away from home and family) for your business. It makes commercial sense. After all, a happy and healthy employee is a productive, profitable, and loyal employee.
Stop thinking that a hotel stay is just about the bed
“It’s just a bed” is a terrible phrase that downplays the importance of a decent hotel experience. You may have uttered those words yourself after a disappointing hotel stay. “Just a bed” is barely acceptable when you’re on vacation and want to spend as little time in the hotel room as possible. But when your employees travel for work and put in long shifts for the company, they deserve a lot more consideration. “Just a bed” isn’t good enough.
While many hotels prioritise sleep in their advertising campaigns, there are a lot of hours between finishing work and hitting the hay. These are the precious hours when your workers can evaluate their day’s work, start thinking about the day ahead, and, dare I say it, relax a little bit.
Enjoying this downtime in a healthy, safe, comfortable environment shouldn’t be a luxury. If you value your employees’ physical and mental health, it should be an essential service you offer.
Promoting better mental health
Travelling for work can be lonely. This isolation can be amplified by feeling trapped in an unsuitable hotel accommodation. While there might be a bar or restaurant your employees can escape to, many people struggle with the thought of sitting alone in a public space. The tactic of hiding behind a book only works for some.
Women, in particular (although not exclusively), might fear unwarranted attention when sitting alone in licensed premises. Others may feel uncomfortable sitting in a bar due to cultural or religious reasons. Remember, a busy room can be the loneliest place if you don’t want to be there.
Adding this anxiety to the pressures of work and being away from home for extended periods is not conducive to positive mental health.
Six reasons why an employee might not feel safe, secure and comfortable in hotel accommodation?
While most hotel stays are pleasant enough for a day or two, not all hotel experiences are worthy of your employees. Consider the following scenarios:
- Location: Many budget hotels are located in remote locations, such as business parks or motorway service stations. While they might offer access to limited restaurant services and basic shopping opportunities, these venues are hardly built for comfort or leisure. Consider how your employees feel spending significant time in these soulless, desolate locations. Not great.
- Service: Hotels are increasingly automating their guest check-in experience, meaning your employees can find themselves holed up in their rooms without speaking to a human being. If there’s a problem with the room, good luck getting that sorted.
- Facilities: Forget about access to a gym or a spa. If your employees are lucky, they might have access to a small fridge and a tiny kettle in their hotel room. But do those two sachets of instant coffee really set anyone up for the working day? There might be a vending machine in the lobby, but that doesn’t help your employees make healthy choices.
- Noise: A busy hotel isn’t always conducive to a good night’s sleep. This is especially true if it’s full of leisure guests enjoying a short break. If your employees are working unusual shift patterns, they may also have to put up with cleaners ignoring “do not disturb” signs and requesting access to rooms at inconvenient times.
- Security: How secure is that hotel car park if your business requires employees to travel with expensive equipment or sample products? Is there space to store those items in their room? Does this feel like a secure option, or does it just require a lot of hard work to transfer items back and forth?
- Privacy: Can you believe that some companies still insist on employees doubling up with colleagues in twin rooms when they are sent away on business? This isn’t a military boot camp, college road trip, or prison sentence. Your employees deserve a little more privacy when they finish a day’s work.
How does serviced accommodation offer a better solution
High-quality serviced accommodation offers your employees all the benefits of being at home while working away. Coppergate SA’s properties in Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Doncaster are all located in pleasant residential communities. Whether your employees stay alone or share accommodation with colleagues, every guest has their own bedroom with ensuite facilities. There’s a fully equipped kitchen, which means they can cook for themselves, keep a bottle of wine chilled, or grab a decent cup of coffee (which we also supply) whenever they want. There’s also a comfortable living room, furnished to the highest standards, where your employees can relax, watch TV, and essentially recharge their batteries, creating a buffer between work and bed.
We also pride ourselves on our service. When checking in, we welcome all guests in person, ensuring they have everything they need for a comfortable stay. Suppose they need a restaurant recommendation, access to a local gym, or a little local knowledge to help them make the most of their stay. In that case, we are always happy to share our local knowledge and are only ever a quick phone call or WhatsApp message away.
Learn more
Contact us today to learn more about how Coppergate can help your employees feel more safe, secure and comfortable in serviced accommodation in Grimsby, Cleethorpes, and Doncaster.
