THE HEALTHY BUSINESS TRAVELER: Seeing an app gap for managing wellness on the road, Hackett took matters into her own hands. VisFIT challenges business travelers to make healthy choices and then rewards them for it. One caveat - the travel booking has to be compliant.
As director of travel services for Graham Holdings, Nicole Hackett lately has focused on unique ways to enhance the business travel experience. She’s a vocal proponent of Uber and keen to ease travel burdens while boosting productivity. When she couldn’t find a health and wellness solution for business travelers, she took matters into her own hands.
“There are too many unhealthy choices when we are on the road,” said Hackett. The visFIT app she developed empowers travel managers to push travelers toward better choices via challenges like completing workouts or opting for healthy breakfasts followed by awards. Participation in the challenges, however, requires the traveler to comply with the travel program; they must stay at a preferred property and fly a preferred airline, for example.
The technology has gained traction in companies where HR has realized the benefits of a healthier workforce in terms of productivity, reduced sick days and, ultimately, lower insurance premiums. “Our pipeline consists of travel managers who have pulled away from program minutiae, and they’ve found a way to offer resources to enhance the traveler experience,” she said. By tracking participation rates long term, visFIT can contribute to overall wellness data and help lower insurance costs. But it also raises awareness of the travel program.
Anthem global travel and events director and early adopter Cindy Heston noted, “From the travel manager standpoint, you sometimes feel like you’re an outsider looking in on an organization. This campaign really brought us back into the fabric of the company.”