The first time you needed to travel for business, you felt nothing but excitement. You were young, you still had not seen much of the world, and you saw this as a way to get paid to go exploring. Sure, you had some work obligations, but you got a trip away from home that made it worth it.
However, as the years went by, you started to resent how much you had to travel. You’d moved up the corporate ladder and were now leading the company, so you knew how much it meant to the bottom line to have you go on trips. It kept your business healthy.
Balancing work and life
A recent survey showed that people in the United States often feel like they do not have the right balance between their work and the rest of their lives. They feel like they spend too much time at the office — or, in your case, on business trips.
A few highlights from the survey include the following:
- 85 percent of workers said their obligations cut into their personal time.
- 55 percent of those workers blamed their long hours as the main reason work infringed on their lives.
- 54 percent said that the problem was that they had to work overtime and work on the weekends.
- 49 percent claimed that employers were too demanding.
- 49 percent said that they had to spend their personal time responding to emails or taking business calls.
- 34 percent blamed their smartphones for making them too easily connected with work at any moment.
So, if you feel like all of that business travel infringes on your time, you are not alone. Many workers wish they had more time to themselves.
That’s when it gets interesting. Here are a few relationship-based highlights from the same study:
- 91 percent of workers asked said there were consequences if they were not home often enough.
- 75 percent claimed that their stress levels went up due to excess time outside of the home.
- 70 percent actually said that being out too much caused a failed relationship or a failed marriage.
Could all of your business travel have the same impact on your marriage? Is it just going to increase your stress levels and chip away at your relationship? Maybe that’s part of the reason you do not feel as excited about traveling as you did when it first began. You have started seeing those consequences and you know where it could lead.
Ending your marriage
If your work habits do wind up ending your marriage, make sure you know all of your legal rights. Carefully consider how to protect yourself during this process.