Could you track down your travellers in the event of a crisis? Unfortunately, due to events such as terror attacks, natural disasters, virus outbreaks, etc. it’s more important than ever to ensure your company has a duty of care procedures in place for travelling employees.
To begin managing travel-related risks, employers need to create a travel risk plan. This structured analysis will help to identify where the gaps are in any given travel risk management plan. Below are some key considerations.
Policy and Procedures
This refers not only to your company’s travel policy but also to a travel risk management (TRM) policy. Your TRM policy should address mitigation steps for ‘general’ risks as well as risks that are specific to your operation or travelling employees.
Risk Assessment
Assessing risk is the foundation of any TRM program. Every assignment, business trip or event should be assessed for the potential threat of risk. When reviewing risk, companies need to think about what technology or processes are required to assess risk and incorporate these elements into their overall decision-making process for developing an effective TRM program.
Risk Mitigation
By proactively monitoring incident alerts, disclosing potential risks and advising travellers on how to stay safe or get help via training and or services such as emergency hotlines, employers can better mitigate risks in conjunction with their company policies and procedures
Risk Monitoring
Every organization that has employees travelling domestically or internationally must have access to 24/7 real-time, global risk monitoring resources and intelligence. Effective risk monitoring ensures your company has visibility and the intelligence to drive TRM processes that provide the best level of support for your staff.
Response
Having clear and easy-to-understand processes for employees to request the right level of support is vital for any TRM program. TRM programs must have guidelines for travellers to access travel advice and booking support, medical services, evacuation help, and security-related services.
Notification
The appropriate people need to be informed of any relevant travel risk information before, during or after a trip to make rapid and thoughtful risk-related decisions.
Data Management
Data management is critical for TRM processes. Companies need to have the right technology and systems in place to be able to use traveller data for a range of activities such as identification, collection, storage, accessing, monitoring and notification.
Communication
Communication of your TRM program – including aspects such as the processes, policies, roles, and responsibilities, must be clearly communicated to all levels of staff. Effective communication of your program ensures that everyone understands what is expected of them at all times.
We realize this seems like a daunting task, but don’t worry – most travel management companies offer these services and tools!
At PLUS Travel Group, we understand that a travel program isn’t just about cost containment; it’s also about your organization’s ability to provide the required duty of care services for your travelling employees. We offer policy enforcement, advice, alerts, and monitoring to ensure safer and more secure travel for your employees. Our E-travel tracker technology is designed for compliance and duty of care responsibility and liability protection, such as:
•Ability to easily locate and contact travelers at risk
•Dashboard provides travel, security, and other management tools with a single snapshot of alerts that displays at-risk employees
•Includes contact information for travellers affected by a specific alert
During a natural disaster or crisis beyond our control, we will assign a single point of contact and be accessible 24/7 to assist with activities such as confirming traveller lists, calling travellers to confirm safety or accommodate flight changes, when required, and/or oversee the operations team to ensure the situation is handled appropriately.
Part of duty of care also revolves around ensuring your travellers are prepared and know what to expect when travelling abroad. Our E-Travel Advisories provide information on 30 categories travellers need to know before they travel, including entry requirements, embassy contacts, currency, and more.
All of these services are offered as part of the core program and there is no extra charge to our clients. Interested in learning more? Contact us today!