Business travellers 'leisure travel' risk, says Collinson Group

Business travellers who bolt leisure days on to business trips, so-called ‘bleisure travel’, may be uninsured, according to a study from the Collinson Group. Almost three-quarters of corporate travellers bolt extra days on to their business trips, typically adding up to five days a year in a practice that is allowed by 89% of the employers questioned for the research.

However, 31% of organisations admit employees are not protected by the company’s travel risk policy during this ‘bleisure’ travel, prompting Collinson to suggest employers address this grey area, particularly as the legal position around liability is far from clear.

The Group says organisations might:

• limit the number of days that can be taken for leisure purposes
• stipulate that employees will only be covered for travel that does not depart significantly from their original itinerary
• stipulate that employees must adhere to required aspects of a travel policy – for example, calling in regularly
• provide proof that they have their own insurance if they are not prepared to observe the terms of the corporate travel policy when taking ‘bleisure’ days.

Randall Gordon-Duff, head of product, corporate travel at the group, said:

‘We advise those responsible for international business travel to talk to their insurer or broker about what is and is not covered in terms of leisure days, to modify their policies accordingly and ensure this is communicated to staff.’

Research conducted by Atomik Research among 103 HR professionals in December 2015 and by Opinium research amongst 2005 UK Adults 4-8 December 2015. Collinson Group says that it ‘offers a unique blend of industry and sector specialists across four core capabilities: loyalty, lifestyle benefits, insurance and assistance’. For more information, please visit: www.collinsongroup.com