Separating Business From Family Pleasure
But bringing the family along on what is fundamentally a business task can sometimes be tricky, Parsons admits. It can be easy to mistake the venture for a vacation, when in fact at least one parent is obligated to an employer.
“You have to be honest and straightforward,” says Parsons. “You have to say that the daytime hours are more or less your work time. If you can work from the hotel and be there or at least be close by, then that helps them.”
One strategy the Parsons family employs is to choose a hotel that offers amenities like a swimming pool or a gaming area, so that the parent who is not working has easy access to on-site activities that help pass the time until mommy or daddy gets home from work.
If you must stay at a hotel that does not offer any diversions, try to stay close to an area that presents other appropriate educational or entertainment possibilities.
Advance planning is key to a successful family business trip. You can’t just show up with your kids in tow and work like a madman, expecting your spouse and kids to fend for themselves in an unfamiliar city.
Which is probably what I would do.
Fortunately, I now know that if and when I ever take my daughter on a working vacation, I’ll need to scout out the location beforehand.
Parsons knows that from experience, and he always tries to do a little legwork in order to find stuff for his family to do once the workday ends.
Business Tripping With Kids
Looking for the perfect formula for bringing the family along on a business trip without making the boss mad? Here are some ways to juggle both successfully:
- Talk to your manager. Even if your company doesn’t necessarily require you to get permission to bring family members along, your boss will appreciate it if you’re honest about your plans.
- Set boundaries. Ensure that everyone understands when it’s work time and when it’s family time.
- Consider additional days. Will you be distracted to sit in a conference room while your family is hanging out on the beach? Plan in advance and add a couple of vacation days to your trip so you can enjoy some daytime activities too.
- Know when to say no. Not every business trip is optimal for bringing the family along. If you’ll be in and out of meetings (including evenings) without control of your schedule, leave the kids at home. You can always bring them next time.
“We say that during the day I will be gone, but when I get home then it’s family time with them,” he says. “Some of that is deciding ahead of time what we are going to do as a family. We just traveled to Charleston, and I did my homework and found this funky place to go to dinner.”
And sometimes, he adds, the fates are on your side and you stumble across something cool, like the mini-golf place that was open late after a long meeting.
Having a supportive employer also helps, and more and more companies now realize that work/family balance helps keeps cheeks in the seats.
“My company is very supportive of my family traveling with me,” Parsons says. “But they put a premium on striking the work/family balance. They recognize that work can be very taxing and if folks are unhappy, they won’t stay in the job.”
All of this has me thinking about my husband’s trip to Italy this coming July, to attend an international conference in his field. We’ve discussed whether or not I will go with him, and honestly, I was on the fence about leaving our daughter home while we traveled overseas.
Maybe I’ll rethink my position, and bring her with us. After all, what 3-year-old doesn’t want to go to Bologna?
Or maybe I’ll send her with my husband and I’ll stay home—that way maybe I can finally get a vacation.
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