Companies Embracing Healthy Incentives

Have you been sticking to your New Year's resolution? Two of the most common resolutions made every year are to lose weight and to exercise. Fortunately for some, a number of companies are supporting employees in this effort to improve their health and wellness. With the growing trend among employers to offer programs or incentives for a healthy lifestyle, we have also seen a trend in the types of activities that groups are undertaking. Beyond the ever so popular beach Olympics, mini-marathons and triathlon-themed events are finding their way into more and more itineraries. Both Carib-World in Antigua and BTG in Russia have also developed boot camp programs for the "Type A" personalities seeking to push themselves far beyond the boardroom.

If faced with the task of incorporating a healthy incentive element into your program, consider the following in addition to the questions that you would regularly ask:

Is health and wellness already a part of the company's culture?
Does the company already have programs in place that support a healthy lifestyle for its employees? A company's commitment can be evident in the healthy options made available in its cafeteria for example.

What is the company trying to achieve, and why?
Improvement in health and wellness certainly has an impact on productivity as much as it impacts the company's healthcare costs. A company should be sincere in communicating the program's objectives to participants.

What will or will not motivate the participants?
Particularly when working with a diverse group of participants, consider if the excitement of the program can in fact be translated across cultures and demographics. Will you get an equal level of enthusiasm from an international group for example?

Newsworthy Tidbits

San Francisco Chronicle reports that a federal judge has ruled that Marriott International has discriminated against mobility-impaired golfers and must offer accessible carts. Such carts would have seats that swivel, allowing a golfer to hit a ball without having to step on the course. Click here to read more.

Fans from around the world will converge on Moscow for the finals of the Union of Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League in May. With accommodations sold out in the city that is hosting the event for the first time, leading Russian Destination Management Company (DMC), Business Travel Group advises that they expect their remaining room blocks to be gone by this week. Providing local VIP support to guests, Business Travel Group is working with several corporate clients and serving as the official DMC for Europe's largest brewery.

Delta Air Lines has announced that it will start a new nonstop service between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and the island of Antigua. The new flight that begins on June 12 will operate Thursdays and Sundays.

Travel mags are out with their annual lists of bests for 2008. No surprise is St. Lucia making Conde Nast's IT List of the 10 destinations that you will be hearing about this year. UK's Time Online undertakes listing its top 20 hot hotels for 2008. Among those listed are Bob Marley Resort in Nassau, Bahamas; La Casona Inkaterra in Cusco, Peru; El Silencio Lodge & Spa in Costa Rica; and Beyaz Yunus in Olu Deniz, Turkey.

Something Extra

Fans of Monopoly, the popular board game by Hasbro, now have a chance to vote for their favorite international city to get its own square on the game's first worldwide edition. Voters can choose from 68 pre-selected cities such as Buenos Aires - Argentina, Paris - France and Mumbai - India, with the top 20 pre-selected cities as of February 29 winning the opportunity to all appear on the board. If your favorite city or hometown does not appear among the pre-selected, voters can also nominate any other city to become a wildcard, giving that city the chance to be one of just two wildcards to also make it to the board.

Cross-Cultural Tid Bits

5 Tips to Cross-Cultural Communication

If you have never taken an international business communication course, or sat through a cross-cultural workshop, here are 5 simple tips to help improve your cross-cultural communication skills. These are helpful even when speaking with someone of a different culture who speaks English.

Keep it Simple and Slow Down
Conform to basic grammar rules more strictly than you would in everyday conversation. Make sure your sentences express a complete thought, and keep in mind that punctuation will help in clarifying meanings. Avoid big words; slow down and speak clearly.

Avoid Asking Yes/No Questions
If the question is not understood, a yes/no answer can be misleading. Responding yes to the question such as “Do you understand?” may be your colleague’s or guest’s way of saving face (your face). In some Asian cultures for example, it is considered rude to say no and they will go to extremes to avoid doing so.

Paraphrase to Ensure Understanding
Never assume that the other party has understood what you have said. When necessary, summarize or state differently what you have said in order to verify it. At the same time, do the same in order to ensure that you also understand and that accurate cross-cultural communication has taken place.

Do not Raise Your Voice
Have you ever seen those scenes where one party raises his or her voice in an effort to ensure that the other party has understood? Well, it does not work in cross-cultural communication. Maintain your speaking tone as a raised voice may in fact be interpreted as aggression or similar.

Keep a Check on Your Humor Each culture has its own style and use of humor. In some cultures, humor is unacceptable in a professional or business setting. And, the style of humor that may be acceptable in one culture may be received negatively in another. If uncertain in a given situation, it is best to avoid humor (including those emoticons in your email correspondences).

Click here for more cross-cultural tips.

Meetings and incentives industry events in 2008 at which your team at SNC and/or our destination partners look forward to seeing you. To make an appointment to meet with DMCs who may be exhibiting at IMEX, simply click here.

- FITUR - Madrid, Spain, 30 Jan-3 Feb
- IMEX - Frankfurt, Germany, 22-24 April
- World Travel Mart - London, UK, 10-13 November
- EIBTM - Barcelona, Spain, 2-4 December
- SITE International Conference - Monterey, CA, 5-8 December