Companies are sending more employees on domestic and international business trips. However, rising travel risks—including political, environmental, and health-related threats—underscore the need for businesses to implement company-wide, pre-travel training strategies. Doing so will help protect employees’ health and safety when traveling or living abroad. Businesses failing to put travel safety protocols in place risk not just their employees’ well-being, but also set themselves up for significant legal, reputational, and financial consequences.
Today, it’s essential for organizations to address Duty of Care legislation in their travel risk management strategies. Duty of Care legislation holds companies liable for the health and safety of their staff, including all mobile and field employees. According to ExpatHealth.org, multi-national employers failing to meet their Duty of Care obligations run the risk of expensive lawsuits or even having criminal charges filed against them.
Organizations can mitigate these types of risks and fulfill their Duty of Care objectives by designing and implementing a pre-travel training plan for traveling employees and expatriates. This plan should consist of:
- Customizing a company-wide policy to meet the specific needs of the organization and its traveling employees
- Communicating and enforcing protocols to educate and protect employee health and safety
- Implementing a crisis communication and response plan with specific procedures for managing medical, security, and other travel emergency scenarios
The success of any travel risk management program depends not only on a well-designed emergency response plan, but also on the participation of the entire company—administrators and traveling employees alike. Companies may choose to partner with a travel risk management (TRM) firm or assign an internal team to lead business travel management programs. A TRM partner can provide valuable resources and additional oversight to educate traveling employees and administrators, as well as effectively manage emergencies.
What Training Should Include
Whether it’s led by an internal team or a third-party partner, company-wide training should always include:
1. Pre-Travel Employee Orientations: Mandatory company-wide orientation meetings will prepare employees with essential information regarding their upcoming travel. Meetings should provide the following information:
- Hotel/meeting site location and reservation details
- Nearby pharmacies and medical clinics in the event of an emergency
- Passport and/or visa arrangements and requirements
- Country-specific personal safety guidelines
- Emergency contact information, including local emergency responders, your travel assistance provider, and internal company resources
2. A Synopsis of the Destination’s Political Standing: Many regions around the world are experiencing political unrest and living under the threat of terrorism. Providing your employees with information regarding the political status of a country prior to departure will prepare them for unexpected security issues abroad. It’s also important to ensure that your employee benefits package includes security services for employees traveling to high-risk areas. The following U.S. State Department resources also can be used to assess a country’s political status:
- The current travel warnings list provides information on risks to the security of U.S. citizens. You also can register to receive real-time travel advisories that can be shared across your organization.
- Country Specific Information provides essential safety information (crime rates, specific locations to avoid, and other threats to personal safety).
- The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) allows employees to receive real-time updates on travel warnings and alerts via e-mail. STEP also will help the nearest embassy or consulate locate your travelers in the event of an emergency evacuation.
A Medical Overview: Since many health insurance plans do not cover members traveling outside the U.S., organizations should verify benefits available to traveling employees and secure supplemental services if necessary. Be sure employees are appropriately covered for medical evacuation in the event of serious illness or injury. Confirm there is sufficient medical expense coverage, as well as access to referrals to nearby clinics and hospitals with Western standards of care for your employees in their host countries. Other information to provide includes:
- Country-specific vaccination requirements, including all routine vaccinations (i.e., influenza, measles, and mumps).
- The Center for Disease Control’s Travelers’ Health Website for up-to-date information about health risks around the world.
No organization should lack adequate resources and preparation for business travel emergencies. A pre-travel training plan and implementation of company-wide crisis management protocols is vital in helping your organization protect your employees and prevent an unfortunate situation from spiraling into disaster.
Mike Kelly is CEO of On Call International, which for nearly 20 years has provided fully customized travel risk management programs protecting millions of travelers, their families, and the companies they work for with vital travel assistance services.
