What is Jack and Ferdi?
Jack and Ferdi is a Bleisure Travel Guide curated by locals, focusing on business travelers’ well-being, Certified B-Corp & Public Benefit Corporation. This guide is actively working toward a new, stakeholder-focused economy… It is designed to help business travelers navigate the challenges of frequent travel while emphasizing health, safety, and local community support. Jack and Ferdi provides a well-rounded approach by addressing the issues associated with business travel, offering practical solutions for both employers and employees.
Main Benefits for Employers and Employees
Key figures and facts that define the impact of Jack and Ferdi include:
- Take care of employees’ physical health by providing nice places to eat healthy and facilities to exercise outdoors.
- Increase healthy behaviors such as dietary and physical activity changes with dedicated running routes and outdoor workout spots.
- Help remote workforces cope with stress by encouraging exercise and meditation with breathtaking outdoor spots and relaxing activities.
- Keep a work-from-anywhere workforce safe with real-time alerts, travel restriction updates, emergency numbers, and hospital information at destination.
- Support and encourage work/life balance, with most users reporting an improved balance between work obligations and personal aspirations.
- Ensure a positive societal impact by allowing employers to decide where 10% of revenues should be donated, ultimately supporting local communities.
Understanding the Issue with Business Travel
Business travel is far from just a journey; it can negatively impact the well-being of employees and overall business productivity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that business travelers face different health risks than leisure travelers. Traveling frequently for business leads to assorted physical and behavioral risks for travelers… Usual side effects of business travel include sleep disorders, stress, isolation, poor eating and drinking habits, and lack of physical exercise. When these challenges pile up, they can even trigger serious chronic diseases like obesity, alcoholism, depression, and hypertension. There is a strong correlation between high levels of business travel and these diseases, especially when stress compounds along with long-distance journeys, unpredictable travel schedules, and interference with family life.
Employer Responsibilities and Innovative Solutions
Employers have a robust incentive to address the health risks and productivity issues of business travel. The chain reaction between health risks, acute stress, diseases, and job disengagement has the potential to undermine relationships with business partners, clients, and suppliers. Employers are encouraged to implement policies and awareness programs, not just to manage travel but to actively improve employees’ well-being. Jack and Ferdi steps in as a solution, helping employers take an active role in enhancing employee health through initiatives that promote healthy eating, exercise, and mental health relief. While it might seem like just another travel aid, this guide truly turns the focus toward a healthier, more balanced approach to business travel.
Employee Benefits and Lifestyle Improvements
For employees, Jack and Ferdi is more than a travel guide—it’s a pathway to creating healthy habits and transforming daily routines. The offerings include recommendations for the best places to eat healthy, curated cultural running routes, and outdoor spots to exercise. With these tools, employees are encouraged not to struggle with unplugging, but instead to create routines that structure their day-to-day lives. The guide also shows how a work-from-anywhere policy can be a boon, allowing employees to relocate closer to aging parents or simply explore the world on their own terms. Added benefits include real-time security updates and information on local hospitals, ensuring that travelers remain safe and well-informed wherever they go. Employee development opportunities are plentiful, making it easier to optimize even the smallest pockets of free time.
Creating a Culture of Healthy Business Travel
The approach taken by Jack and Ferdi is both practical and impactful. It highlights the need for businesses to move beyond just covering healthcare expenses and instead, actively contribute to keeping their workforce healthy. The concept encourages employers to embrace a proactive role in fostering physical and mental well-being. By emphasizing outdoor workouts, dietary improvements, and meditation practices, the guide makes a persuasive case for a work culture that values not only productivity but also a balanced lifestyle. This is a refreshing take on business travel, infusing a sense of care and responsibility into what has traditionally been seen as just a necessary inconvenience.
Project Impact on Global Goals
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Promoting healthy practices and preventive measures among business travelers.
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Enhancing employee productivity through better health and safety routines.
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – Supporting local communities through responsible travel and revenue donation initiatives.
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – Encouraging mindful eating and exercise habits, reflected in the guide’s recommendations.
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Building networks that support a stakeholder-focused economy and sustainable business practices.
Embracing a Future of Stakeholder-Focused Economy
The initiative behind Jack and Ferdi reflects a broader vision—a shift toward a stakeholder-focused economy that values the health of both people and communities. Business travel, with its multiple challenges, is reframed as an opportunity to create a positive impact. Employers are given the tools they need to support their teams, while employees receive practical guidance to build a healthier, more balanced life on the road. This guide not only addresses the direct challenges of business travel but also fosters an environment where proactive health measures lead to reduced absenteeism, enhanced motivation, and ultimately, better productivity. With every mile traveled, the focus remains on the well-being of every individual, reinforcing that a healthy workforce is the cornerstone of any successful business strategy. By dedicating 10% of revenues to local communities as chosen by employers, Jack and Ferdi also sets a standard for social responsibility—ensuring that even as business travels far and wide, the impact remains close to home.
