In March 2010, travel professionals of color were surveyed to ascertain their level of job satisfaction in the current economic climate, and to encourage reflection upon how well they manage time in the workplace.

Of the thirty-six respondents, 53% view the travel profession very favorably, and 33% view it exceedingly favorably. Fifty-eight percent (58%) say that the recession has unfavorably or slightly favorably affected their business, while 14% say that it has had no effect. Fifty-eight percent (58%) also say that the recession has somewhat affected their ability to manage time in the workplace.

Regarding time spent at work, 31% of respondents report that they work eight to 10 hours a day. Twenty-eight percent (28%) work four to six hours, 19% work 10 to 12 hours, and 17% work six to eight hours. Twentyfive percent (25%) of respon-dents say that they find time management in the workplace slightly challenging for them, while another 25% rate it as challenging. Twenty-eight percent (28%) say that time management is very challenging for them. Most respondents rarely miss deadlines (61%), confuse efficiency for productiveness (45%), or confuse activity for productiveness (51%).

External influences such as meetings, phone calls, and e-mail somewhat affect 47% of respondents’ ability to accomplish tasks each day, whereas these influences have negligible or no effect on 38% of participants.A clear majority of participants (59%) indicates that they procrastinate sometimes, while a larger majority (73%) indicates that they are able to frequently focus on an individual task. Forty-four percent (44%) are frequently able to prioritize their tasks and are sometimes able to organize their workspace. Organization of workspace is the greatest time management challenge cited by participants (24%), followed by procrastination (21%) and prioritizing tasks (18%).

On a personal level, 30% of respondents say that they always get
enough sleep, and 36% say that they always spend enough time with family
and friends. Fifty-one percent (51%) indicate that they sometimes
engage in physical exercise, and 45% report that they frequently feel
empowered and energized.

The majority of respondents have worked at least 10 years in the travel industry, with 28% reporting 10 to 15 years, 25% reporting 15 to 20 years, and 25% reporting more than 20 years.

Most respondents indicate that they would (27%) or might (48.5%) be willing to participate in training to improve their time management skills.

Dr. Monique Y. Wells is cofounder of Discover Paris! – Personalized Itineraries for Independent Travelers www.discoverparis. net. She is a Certified Success Coach™ and the creator of the Time Management: Inspiration and Implementation™ for Travel Professionals coaching program. For more information, info@discoverparis.net. contact Dr. Wells at