At your own Risk

A new report reveals that business travellers are more likely to take risks on the road – are you one of them?

- WORDS LAURA MILLAR

IT'S A RISKY business, business – or so it would seem, according to a recent survey by Opinium, which reveals 8 out of 10 employees behave differently on business trips.

The data compiled makes work trips sound like some kind of Bacchanalian blowout rather than an opportunity to strengthen ties with clients or develop strategies and proposals.

The survey found that most business travellers (79 per cent) take risks on the road that they'd never consider at home, with respondents admitting to (supposedly) “out-of-character conduct” such as gambling, taking illicit substances or riding motorbikes.

There is a generational divide, with younger business travellers proving especially prone to hazardous choices.

The survey found that those aged between 18 and 34 are nearly four times more likely than older colleagues to engage in risky behaviour – 22 per cent would get into a car with a new friend or stranger, 21 per cent would hop on a scooter, and 15 per cent say they have gambled or taken drugs on work trips.