As the lines between our working and personal lives blur, combined with ubiquitous access to mobile networks such as WiFi and 3G, it's virtually obligatory to tag on a few days of downtime at the end of a traditional business trip. The 'free' days can also be taken before the business trip, of course, but who wants to relax by the pool with the imminent threat of half-day long meetings and pages of copious minutes just around the corner? It's a vastly better idea to work hard and then collect your well-deserved reward. Who eats dessert first?
The view amongst employees is that if the company is paying for the flights to and from a business destination that is also a nice enough place to relax in, then it makes sense for the employee to pay for a few days extra accommodation at their own expense, as long as they are contactable on their mobile devices. And that's the key. Bizcations only work if one doesn't play so hard during their tagged-on downtime that they lie in bed nursing the after-effects of the evening before until noon with their cellphones switched off and their laptops or tablets out of juice.
Forgive the pun, but it takes two to tango here - employee and employer need to play the game according to certain unspoken rules or else it's back to the days when that last meeting ends with a taxi outside the door ready to take you straight to the airport, no cocktails necessary.
So while employees eager to participate in this new trend of 'mochitos after meetings' might pack a plethora of charges to ensure they're always connected and ready to remotely defuse the next crisis, one wonders whether they also plan to pack the hand sanitiser. 'Excuse me?', you might exclaim, but another way to translate 'exotic destination' is quite simply as a place where one might want to bear in mind a few hygiene basics, like the importance of regular handwashing and sanitising with an alcohol-based waterless hand sanitiser.
Many corporate employees have the advantage of professional outsourced staff and equipment ensuring that their workplaces are hygienic and well-looked after. When the formal part of the business trip is over and it's time to relax, many of us might not remember to take care of certain hygiene basics that are usually done for us in the office environment.
• As mentioned above, carry a high quality hand sanitiser in case you come across a public facility without proper hand washing supplies.
• If you walk into a public facility to spot only a bar of soap and a bath towel where a quality hand soap and an electric dryer should have been, rather experience a few minutes of discomfort driving to the next rest stop than risk ruining your holiday, and your health.
• The best combination is to wash your hands first with soap, dry properly and then finish with a high quality hand sanitiser.
• Proper hand washing involves applying soap to the hands, rubbing them together vigorously for at least 20 seconds and then rinsing them with clean water. Always dry hand properly as damp hands can spread up to 1,000 times more bacteria than dry ones.
• If necessary, you can also use hand sanitiser to clean any surface areas that may need attention, for example writing desks or cupboards in hotel rooms.
• Always try ensure that handbags and other personal carry bags are hung on hooks or otherwise suspended off the floor when using bathrooms or public transport.
