Business travelers add family to the itinerary

On a recent business trip to San Diego, Kurt Barrett took his family to Sea World.

Between the banquet dinners and panel discussions on agricultural policy, he also took his 5-month-old daughter swimming for the first time in the hotel pool. Another day, they strolled through the humid botanical gardens in Balboa Park.

“It was like being at home. I got done with work, then enjoyed spending time with my wife and child,” said Barrett, a 30-year-old general manager for a rice distributor in Williams, Calif.

“Work is very important, but there has to be a balance.”

Traveling for work once meant sacrificing precious time away from home. But as the American workplace becomes more flexible about letting employees juggle their duties with family life, people are finding it easier to bring their spouses and children wherever their jobs may take them.

According to the National Business Travel Assn., 62% of U.S. business travelers said they added a leisure component to at least one business trip a year. Among those travelers, two-thirds said they brought a family member or friend with them.

Pushing the trend is the growing number of single parents, women in executive ranks, two-income families and those simply looking to save a buck by turning company-paid trips into working vacations. People are having kids later in life too, meaning they’re more likely to be comfortable enough in their careers to blend work and family.

That blurring between office and family life represents a sea change from a generation or two ago, when children were told that bothering their parents with a phone call at work could get mom or dad in trouble.

“There’s a realization that work has encroached so much on private time, that there needs to be some give and take,” said Nancy Ahlrichs, president of EOC Strategies, a human resources consulting firm in Indianapolis.

In fact, many business conventions today court attendees by trumpeting baby-sitting services and family outings.

Hotels are stepping up family friendly services too, at least in part to cater to the changing convention business -- a big moneymaker for the industry.

Hyatt Corp. launched a kids’ menu last year. Parents can check kids into Camp Hyatt, where children might make adobe art or go “coconut bowling,” depending on the locale.

Policies on bringing family on business trips vary from company to company, said Caleb Tiller, spokesman for the National Business Travel Assn., based in Alexandria, Va.

Some companies encourage it as a way to keep employees happy and productive.

Others might allow it, but require employees to sign waivers releasing the company from liability in case anyone is injured during the trip, Tiller said.

But however welcoming and open a company may seem about family matters, it’s always a good idea to let the boss know your plans ahead of time, said Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute and author of “Etiquette Advantage in Business.”

Setting boundaries between family and work on business trips is crucial, Post said. Bringing a 7-year-old into the conference room, for example, is never a good idea.

For Barrett, bringing his daughter to San Diego was easy because his wife could watch her while he attended work functions. The conference even provided tickets to Sea World and organized family friendly events such as picnics.

“It’s a way to expose her to new experiences while keeping the family together,” Barrett said.