PRETORIA - Despite the substantial value that business travel adds to economies and organisations, it can be a double-edged sword that leads to increased stress for employees. 

This was one of the key messages delivered by Professor Anneli Douglas of the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Department of Marketing Management during her inaugural professorial lecture, titled ‘Business travel: a double-edged sword’.

Prof Douglas acknowledged that business travel has many advantages for employers and employees – including opportunities to develop a global mindset and build better relationships with clients, suppliers and collaborators – but it can have adverse effects too. These consequences can include increased stress for travellers before, during and after their business trips, which may translate into increased “presenteeism”. 

“Presenteeism is when an employee is physically present but mentally absent,” she said in her address on 14 October 2025, citing Statistics South Africa figures that presenteeism costs the South African economy around R89 billion per year.

According to Prof Douglas, in the United Kingdom, 12.5% of productive hours a year are wasted through presenteeism, working out at 35.6 days per employee per year.

Prof Douglas’s own research, conducted among 400 South African business travellers in 2024, confirmed the link between business travel stress and presenteeism. “We calculated that 2.3 days per month are lost to presenteeism induced by business travel stress.”

Stress before, during and after business trips

A key finding is that the most stressful aspect of business travel is in the pre-travel phase, when business travellers have to make home, work and travel arrangements, followed by stress during the actual trip. 

Personal safety and unexpected delays and incidents cause the most stress for business travellers while they are travelling, Prof Douglas said, adding that these issues tend to be heightened among travellers from the Global South, given higher crime rates and the vast distances they have to travel.

Post-travel stress stems from factors such as reintegrating into work and home life, work overload and increased family conflict because of time spent away. 

“Business travel stress also affects the body,” she said, adding that long-distance travellers often report difficulties sleeping, skin problems, increased alcohol consumption, lack of opportunities to exercise, poor eating habits and gastrointestinal problems.

What is worrying, given the high costs of business travel stress for employers and employees alike, is that the phenomenon of travel stress tends to be under-investigated. Research-based insight into the impact of business travel stress could equip companies to introduce well-informed policies and practices to reduce stress.

Younger generations more likely to toe the line

More research is also needed on factors that influence non-compliance with organisations’ business travel policies, which is a global problem. Prof Douglas said about two-thirds of business travellers taking part in a previous study had admitted to deviating from their organisations’ policies.

An interesting finding from the research of one of her master’s students is that travellers from younger generations are more likely to comply with business travel policies than other generations.

Also unexpected is the finding about generational differences in the use of mobile apps for business travellers. “The results challenge the assumption that younger generations are more likely than older generations to use technology.”

However, there are gender differences in technology usage. While people with carer responsibilities may have been hesitant to take business trips in the past, technology is making this less daunting, Prof Douglas said. Research indicates that women tend to be the main consumers of mobile apps that keep them in touch with what is happening at home, reducing personal stress and family conflict.

Relevant research with impact

Prof Sunil Maharaj, Vice-Principal: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education, who presided over the 

event, highlighted the value of Prof Douglas’s research to industry and the University itself, as UP has a strong focus on international collaboration, which goes hand in hand with business travel. He noted that UP had 107 international collaborative agreements in 2024.

Prof Karin Barac, Deputy Dean: Research and Postgraduate Studies in UP’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, said Prof Douglas’s research in an under-researched facet of tourism is rigorous in theory, impactful in practice and deeply relevant.