The Effects of Globalization and Work Travel: What They Mean for Your Workers and Business Paper pre

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The Effects of Globalization and Work Travel
What They Mean for Your Workers and
BusinessPaper presented at the Work/Life
Summit Preconference of the National Council on
Family Relations, November 6, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania

• Anisa M. Zvonkovic, Jennifer Rojas, NaYeon Lee,
  Holly Follmer, Erin Ritchey, Sara Dodd
• Texas Tech University

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Globalization

• Definition To make global or worldwide in scope
  or application.
• Reasons for Globalization
• World Economy
• Cost Effectiveness
• Prevalence
• Increasing
• Breadth of Industries and Occupational Categories
  

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Challenges

• Working in Multiple Countries
• Political
• Regulatory
• Local Customs and Practices
• Tax Issues
• Language
• Managing Multiple Sites
• Time Difference
• Personal Contact

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Supports

• Working in Multiple Countries
• Web Access
• Video Conferencing
• Decentralized Global Companies
• Call Forwarding
• Increased Contact Across All Company Level With
  Clients
• As business becomes more global and technology
  calls for 24/7 performance, those who lead
  companies must be able to move through several
  time zones several times a week, and communicate
  with staff and customers around the clock
  (Hymowitz, 2001).

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Globalization and Travel

• Globalization of companies has spurred travel
• New occupational sectors
• New markets
• Twenty-five to thirty percent of full time
  workers are estimated to travel frequently for
  their jobs (Presser Hermsen, 1996).

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Travel

• Frequent travelers
• Stay overnight gt 20 nights per year
• Average over 45 hours per week
• Average over 60 nights away
• Tend to be in their 40s

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Frequent Travelers Occupations

• Industries
• Engineering/ Architectural
• Business Management
• Justice
• Nursing
• Trucking
• National Security

• Occupations
• Managers
• Marketers
• Public Relations Representatives
• Administrators
• Supervisors

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Work Travel Schedules

• Travel Intensity
• Length of Trip
• Number of Trips
• Total Nights Away
• Travel intensity actually makes a difference.
• Here is a look at 3 different examples.

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Example of 3 Trip Profiles
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How does work travel affect organizations?

• Team Dynamics
• 24/7 Clocks
• Communication
• Jet Lag
• Risk
• Personal Safety
• Insurance
• Emergency Contacts
• Work travel is a necessity regardless of
  drawbacks.

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How does work travel affect workers?

• Sleep
• Time Change Differences
• Social Rhythms Index
• Regular Sleep Cycle Upon Return
• Time Rushed Time Work Pressure
• Preparation
• During Trip
• Returning Home

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How does work travel affect workers well being?

• Commitment to organization
• Commitment to working
• Feeling
• Rushed
• Stressed
• Anxious
• Sleep deprivation affects alertness, mood, and
  emotions.

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Other Job Factors

• At least two different types of workers vary on
• Status Pay
• Education
• Job Autonomy
• Schedule Flexibility
• Work Engagement
• Next is a description of two case studies.

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Case Studies

• Barbra
• 41-year-old Female
• Professional Sales Representative
• 3 Years at Current Job

• Olivia
• 35-year-old Female
• Community Development Specialist
• 11 Years at Current Job

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Job Information

• Barbra
• Her job satisfaction is mildly positive
• Work is satisfying but frustrating.
• Her present pay mildly negative but fair.
• She has had her current supervisor for 3 years.

• Olivia
• Her job satisfaction is highly positive
• Work is very fascinating respected.
• Her present pay is mildly negative.
• She has had her current supervisor for 1 year.

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Travel Information

• Barbra
• Travels 4-6 nights/month.
• Trips tend to be 3 days and 2 nights.
• Perceives travel as a big problem in her life.
• Travel does not affect her success or how she is
  regarded in company.

• Olivia
• Travels 8-10 nights/month.
• Trips tend to be 3 days and 2 nights.
• Perceives travel as a little of a good thing.
• Travel does affect her success and how she is
  regarded in company.

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Travel Stressed Employees May Impact
Organizational Factors

• Organizations want to attract the best talent
• Organizations want to retain good workers
• Importance of managing personal lives
• Good and talented workers may quit if they are
  stressed by travel and personal life.

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Case Study Personal/Family Information

• Barbra
• Married-18 years
• Has 2 children
• 14-year-old son
• 7-year-old daughter

• Olivia
• Married-12 years
• Has 2 children
• 8-year-old son
• 4-year-old son

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Case Study Perceptual Information

• Barbra
• Family gt job very often.
• Job gt family sometimes.
• Time is somewhat rushed when it comes to family.

• Olivia
• Family gt job rarely/almost never.
• Job gt family sometimes.
• Time is very rushed when it comes to family.

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Varied Challenges of Travel

• Workers who travel experience stress in different
  ways depending on
• Gender
• Marital partnership status
• Parental status
• as well as travel job factors

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What Organizations Can Do

• Extending employee services
• Onsite child care concierge services
• Enhancing employee benefits
• Paid parental leave resource referral
• Changing work culture
• Flexibility leadership development
• Source James Harrington chapter, Work family
  handbook

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Workplace Policies Their Use

• Formal policies may be supportive but direct
  supervisor corporate culture discourage their
  use
• Formal policies are not helpful but direct
  supervisor may be supportive
• Policies, culture supervisors are applied
  differently to workers depending on their status

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In Travelers Own Words Examples of Policies for
Travel

• Before the Trip
• Leave days
• Concierge services
• Team stress
• During the Trip
• Technology use (cell phones, computer)
• Returning from Trip
• Leave days
• Smooth reimbursement

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Work, Travel, Family Project

• This project seeks to explore the experience of
  individuals whose jobs require travel in a
  cross-section of occupations.
• This study looks at how travelers family
  members are affected by the rhythms of regular
  work travel.

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Example Questions

• Which organizational practices are the most
  effective at supporting traveling employees,
  promoting work-life balance, and protecting
  worker health?
• How does work-related travel influence the tempo
  of routines and relationships at home?

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Project Design

• Interviews with family members at their
  convenience.
• PDA daily diary reports
• Work time
• Daily activities
• Health-related behaviors
• Daily mood, stress, coping

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Thoughts To Leave You With

• Are business work trips in your organization
  caused by globalization?
• How are business trips arranged?
• How can your organization minimize stress and a
  rushed pace when you are on the road?