Mixing Pleasure With Business

A recent Allianz Global Assistance study — conducted by Ipsos – found that one in four Canadians said that their employer allows them the benefit of taking a bizcation – blending remote work while on vacation.

The study also revealed that bizcations are a popular work perk as 72% of those who have the option plan on taking a bizcation this year.

Bizcations are an emerging trend in the workplace, where employees can work and travel simultaneously without taking time off. It could also include tacking on a few days before or after a business trip.

Flexible work arrangements, like bizcations, are some of the most notable work-related outcomes of the pandemic – and something that many employees prioritize. The mobile workplace has become the norm and innovative working arrangements have become a key factor in attracting talent.

Dan Keon, Vice President, Marketing & Insights at Allianz, pointed out that: “Bizcations are becoming increasingly popular, as we see the value younger generations place on travel.”

And Keon continued: “Our survey found that 82% of those aged 18-34 will exercise their option to take a bizcation, while only 50% of those over the age of 55 plan to do the same. As the workplace continues to evolve, the office can be anywhere and the travel industry must prioritize keeping people connected while vacationing.”

The travel industry has been adapting to this growing need. When it comes to accommodations, we have seen the bizcation trend take shape with more access to Wi-Fi, workspaces, coworking spaces, charging ports, mobile connections and computers.

In the Allianz study, business travellers shared their top bizcation destinations:

• 32% said they plan to travel within Canada, outside of their home province
• 24% said they plan to travel to Mexico or the Caribbean
• 15% said they plan to travel in the US
• 29% said they plan to travel to some other international destination

Allianz Global Assistance is reminding all travellers – whether or not you are working on vacation – to protect themselves and their trip with travel insurance. The good news is 89% of Canadians say they will obtain travel insurance before their next travel adventure.

The Winter Vacation Confidence Index Survey was conducted online by Ipsos in November 2022, among a sample of n = 2005 Canadians aged 18+. The results are considered accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, for the aggregate sample.

Go to www.allianz-assistance.ca for more.