UK workers ‘struggle’ with increase in meetings and business travel

More than a third of UK office workers report an increase in in-person meetings, which for many is leading to more business travel and a more difficult work-life balance, according to a survey commissioned by chauffeured ride-hailing platform provider Blacklane of more than 2,000 office-based professionals.

Among total respondents, 35 per cent said their frequency of work-related travel has increased steadily over the past two years, and about two-thirds said they have traveled as many as 50 times for business over the previous 12 months.

According to the survey, conducted by CensusWide earlier this month, more than half (52 per cent) of respondents who have experienced a rise in the number of in-person meetings are struggling to cope with the increased demand.

Fifty-three per cent of respondents said they had seen remote meetings increase over that period as well, according to the survey.

Just under half of respondents said they felt more pressure to be constantly available, especially when commuting or traveling for business, according to the survey. That perception was skewed toward younger travelers, with 50 per cent of Generation Z feeling the pressure compared with 31 per cent of Baby Boomers, Blacklane reported.

The biggest obstacle to work while traveling or commuting was no internet connection, cited by 24 per cent of survey respondents. That was followed by unexpected waiting or delays at 17 per cent and noise at 16 per cent.