There's some funny business going on during work trips.
A full 27 percent of workers who travel for their job admitted to binge drinking while away on business, according to a survey released last month by On Call International, a risk management company. Binge drinking is defined by The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as having more than five drinks for men and four for women over the course of two hours.
Of those who binge drank while away for work, 17 percent said they'd done it “once or very rarely,” and 2.2 percent said they binge drank on every trip, per the findings, which were based on a Google Consumer Survey of more than 1,000 business travelers.
Poll respondents admitted to other misbehaviors, as well. Eleven percent said they'd picked up a stranger in a bar while on business, and just under 4 percent said they'd been detained by law enforcement.
On Call International points out that these actions can have a negative impact on both employees and the company.
“While it certainly appears that the allure of a one night stand without the constraints of being close to home is tempting to many business travelers, letting one’s guard down in an unfamiliar setting can easily lead to dangerous situations for an individual,” Jim Hutton, chief security officer of On Call International, said in a press release. "This includes assault, robbery and otherwise avoidable accidents leading to serious bodily injury -- not to mention reputational damage for the employer."
Sutton advised employers to establish clear parameters about what kind of behavior is acceptable during a business trip.
Even so, laying down rules might not stop bad behavior. The survey also found that 8 percent of employees lied to their bosses about their extracurricular activities during business trips.
This survey is in line with the common perception that people tend to misbehave while traveling for work. A 2012 survey found that two-thirds of Americans believe people cheat on their partners while away on business. Another survey found that people in a relationship were more likely to run into temptations that lead to cheating during business trips.