When it comes to corporate travel, a company’s foremost duty of care is to protect its travelers from harm while engaged in company business away from home. This broad legal responsibility encompasses everything from making sure that business trips are properly planned and organized, to managing the risks associated with international travel. To ensure that all your travelers are safe, you need a comprehensive travel risk management strategy. Let’s explore what this entails.
What Is The Duty Of Care?
The duty of care is a moral and legal obligation to act responsibly when it comes to protecting employees (as well as contractors etc conducting business on behalf of your company) from harm, injury, and loss of property. In practice, this entails identifying all the potential hazards associated with travel and taking steps to mitigate those risks wherever possible – and also includes providing adequate insurance coverage, ensuring that destination security information is up-to-date and easily accessible, and having an emergency response plan in place if something goes wrong.
How Does Travel Risk Management Work?
Travel risk management is the process by which businesses identify the risks associated with business trips and manage them through policy implementation and training. This can vary between individuals and destinations. For example, companies should consider if their destination has any known medical or security concerns that could put their travelers in danger. Additionally, travelers who are pregnant, have health difficulties, or mobility needs, may present a raised risk level while traveling than some other people.
These factors should all be considered in the travel risk management plan.
Once risks have been identified, the company can develop proactive strategies for mitigating them and protecting their travelers from harm. This may include providing smart phone-based traveler tracking technology (so you always know where your employees are) and offering medical evacuation insurance (in case of emergency medical situations). Companies should also provide training to travelers on how to respond in emergency situations, as well as informing them about local laws and customs so there won’t be any surprises while they’re away from home.
What Happens If A Situation Arises?
Most domestic and international business trips go smoothly and without incident. However, if a situation occurs during a business trip and the duty of care and travel risk management aren’t aligned, then issues can arise for all involved. Ultimately, the operational responsibility falls on the travel manager’s shoulders. With the right travel risk management software in place and an accurate risk assessment, you can ensure that your duty of care is being met and the well-being of your employees is safeguarded.
What Next?
Mantic Point offers a customizable travel risk management software platform that makes it easier for travel managers to meet their duty of care requirements in a way that is easy to access for travelers should they need support. To find out more, please call today.
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