Leisure and business together: bleisure and blurring

Business travelers complain about loneliness, jet lag, endless work schedules… However, many of them see their travel as an advantage, because it offers them the opportunity to get to know new destinations and cultures. Bleisure and blurring, two ways of blending work and private life, are gaining more and more followers.

According to recent studies, combining business and leisure, i.e. business and leisure, is a more common practice than expected, especially among the younger generations, who have fewer family commitments. Frequent travelers of this type tend to take advantage of their trips to extend their stay and go sightseeing, alone or in the company of family or friends who join them on the extension. In some cases they get facilities and discounts from suppliers, especially hotels.

A survey conducted last year by BridgeStreet Global worldwide indicated that 14% of companies have incorporated bleisure culture into their corporate strategy. Another survey by Instituto de Empresa and Mastercard, also from 2015, shows that 67% of business travelers have taken time off when visiting a city to enjoy its monuments, gastronomy, shopping or a cultural event. A very recent CWT study indicates that 20% take at least one bleisure a year. Women and young people are the most prone to this trend.

The extraordinary connectivity enabled by today's technology is also driving a new concept of work relationships in which moments and spaces dedicated to work and personal life are blurred. This model, known as blurring, is especially catching on among the millennial generation, which demands professional responsibility by objectives rather than rigid schedules.

As in other areas, the search for balance is essential, since, although on the one hand it can increase motivation, productivity and employee satisfaction, it also generates cases of stress, conflicts of conciliation or unwanted invasion of personal space.