What is Travel Duty of Care

For many companies, travel is an essential part of doing business. But between extreme weather, social unrest, and travel disruptions, today's travel landscape can be unpredictable. And that could be putting your employees at risk.

Is your company prepared to manage the risks that come with employee travel and fulfill your legal and moral obligation to keep them safe? In this article, you'll learn what duty of care is and why it's important to apply measures that will help you meet your responsibility. You'll also find guidelines for business travelers to help them avoid risks.

What is duty of care?

Employer duty of care is the legal and moral obligation that employers have towards their employees. For your company to fulfill its duty of care, you must take reasonable steps to provide a safe working environment and make every effort to protect employees from harm or injury during work-related activities, whether they're in the office or traveling for business.

What is a duty of care program?

When it comes to employee travel, duty of care means being aware of common travel risks and creating travel management policies, procedures, and resources to mitigate foreseeable risks. As an employer, it's your responsibility to safeguard the well-being of employees while they're away from the office. Your efforts could include:

• Conducting risk assessments for travel destinations.
• Offering training on cultural sensitivity and local customs.
• Providing travel insurance
• Monitoring travel itineraries and providing updates on potential risks.
• Giving access to 24/7 emergency assistance services.
• Creating communication protocols during emergencies.
• Providing access to medical assistance and evacuation services.
• Implementing policies for travel expense reimbursement and allowances.
• Establishing procedures for reporting incidents and receiving support.

Your company's duty of care program should take into consideration all aspects of employee travel, from pre-trip preparations to on-the-ground support to post-trip assistance. While this can all be handled in house, you probably want to use a travel management company to help support your duty of care obligations so that your employees can travel with confidence.

7 ways to fulfill your duty of care in business travel

An effective corporate travel duty of care program protects employees' health, safety, and well-being. Whether you're developing a new program or evaluating an existing program, make sure it covers a range of proactive measures, including:

1. A corporate travel policy: Develop a comprehensive business travel policy that prioritizes safety and clearly outlines your company's guidelines for employee travel. Your policy should spell out the processes for booking accommodations, transportation, and activities, as well as procedures for emergencies, cancellations, last-minute changes, and other logistical challenges.
2. Risk assessments: Conduct thorough risk assessments of the destinations that employees travel to. Your assessment should identify potential risks such as political unrest, natural disasters, extreme weather, access to medical facilities in case of health emergencies, and security threats.
3. Pre-trip preparation: Provide travelers with important information and resources they'll need before departure, including destination-specific advisories, contact details for emergency assistance, and instructions for accessing medical care or evacuation services. Educate employees about any health and safety concerns and required vaccinations for the destination and offer training on personal safety and situational awareness. You should also provide travel insurance.
4. 24/7 support: Make sure travelers have access to round-the-clock support, such as a dedicated employee assistance helpline, a travel management provider, or an in-house support team for last-minute changes in travel plans.
5. Clear communication protocols: Put a system in place to keep in touch with employees during their business trips so you can relay important updates or travel alerts in real-time. You may also want to invest in technology for real-time monitoring and communication so you can keep tabs on employees' whereabouts and provide immediate assistance if an emergency arises.
6. Post-trip debriefings: Upon employees' return, solicit feedback, address issues or concerns that arose during the trip, and incorporate any lessons learned to continuously improve your travel program.

Travel safety guidelines for employees

An effective duty of care program educates employees about steps they should take to stay safe while traveling. Share this list of corporate travel safety guidelines with traveling employees so they know what to do to minimize risks and stay safe:

• Research and planning: Before you book a trip, thoroughly research the destination, including local customs, culture, laws, and potential risks. Plan your itinerary and travel arrangements carefully to avoid high-risk areas or activities.
• Travel documentation: Make copies of important documents, like your passport, visas, identification, vaccination records, and your health insurance cards, in case the originals get lost or stolen. Bring the copies with you but keep them in a secure location separate from the originals.
• Stay connected: Make sure your employer, colleagues, and family members have a copy of your itinerary and contact details and check in regularly throughout your trip so they're aware of your whereabouts.
• Protect yourself, your belongings, and your personal information: Stay vigilant and aware of your surroundings at all times and avoid risky situations. If you ever feel unsafe, trust your instincts, and get yourself out of the situation immediately. You should also take precautions to protect your belongings and personal information: Don't leave luggage unattended, secure electronic devices, avoid public Wi-Fi networks, and safeguard sensitive data.
• Emergency preparedness: Familiarize yourself with emergency procedures, including how to contact local authorities, embassy or consulate services, medical care, and your employer's emergency assistance provider.
• Health and wellness: Take care of your physical and mental health while traveling. Stay hydrated, get adequate rest, and wash hands regularly to avoid getting sick.

Keeping business travelers safe

Duty of care is more than just a legal obligation. Companies have a moral imperative to protect the well-being of their employees. Corporate travel managers play a pivotal role in fulfilling this duty of care responsibility by implementing proactive travel risk management policies. Doing so can help create a safer and more secure environment for your business travelers, resulting not just in a better travel experience but in better business outcomes as well.

Elevate your duty of care standards and protect business travelers. Reach out today to discover how our tailored solutions can safeguard your business journeys.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.