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16 Aug 2011
Regus Finds 40 Percent of Fitness-Fanatical Americans Hide Swimsuits Under Their Business Suits
New Survey Reveals Most Unusual Things Business Travelers Take on Trips
DALLAS - August 16, 2011 – Regus, the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, polled 17,000 business people from more than 80 countries regarding the most unusual item they regularly take on a business trip. Forty percent of U.S. business travelers declared that they are inseparable from their fitness and leisure clothing, including swimsuits and workout gear.
When compared to the survey’s global results, 27 percent of worldwide respondents reported they pack a swimsuit or gym clothing – far lower than the U.S. average. This top selection was followed by a photograph of the family (16 percent) and a gift for hosts (15 percent) highlighting that the ‘human touch’ in business has not lost its importance even in today’s fast paced environment.
Some weirder responses to the survey also included: a samurai sword, a gas mask, a Chinese red lantern and bear spray - evidently expecting some wild board meetings! Another personal item that may be caught peeping out of a briefcase could easily be earplugs, carried by 18 percent of Americans who evidently value a good night’s sleep.
Sande Golgart, regional vice president for Regus comments: “The weird and wonderful things people were found to take on business trips, from fitness equipment to favorite foods, often reveal how personal and professional lives struggle to co-exist in today’s high pressured work environment. The line between business and pleasure is blurring, leaving more people feeling they need to take a piece of home away with them. This may well be because people are increasingly working in flexible workspaces, so they like to have something that adds the personal touch wherever they are.
“After all, flexible work arrangements are certainly going to grow, both in terms of office hours and location, so employees can maximize their free time while also giving real commitment on the business front. Of course with thousands of businesses now turning to video communications to avoid unnecessary business travel, in the future Americans won’t need to bring their swimsuits abroad so often!”
| Non-business items on business trips | USA |
| A swimsuit / workout clothes | 40% |
| Earplugs | 18% |
| A photograph of your family | 18% |
| Non-business items on business trips | Global |
| A swimsuit / workout clothes | 27% |
| A photograph of your family | 16% |
| A gift for your hosts | 15% |
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About Regus
Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges and the world’s largest network of video communication studios. Regus enables people to work their way, whether it’s from home, on the road or from an office. Customers such as Google, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nokia join hundreds of thousands of growing small and medium businesses that benefit from outsourcing their office and workplace needs to Regus, allowing them to focus on their core activities.
Over a million customers a day benefit from Regus facilities spread across a global footprint of 1,200 locations in 550 cities and 95 countries, which allow individuals and companies to work wherever, however and whenever they want to. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information please visit: www.regus.com