Overseas travel used to mean a long voyage by ship. It could take weeks or even months for a passenger to get to their destination. Terms like “overseas employee travel safety” didn’t even exist. The dangers of the trip alone could range from storms and disease to pirates. Once a passenger was lucky enough to get cross the ocean to their destination, such as a trip from England to Africa, they had very little control over dangerous situations on dry land too. Travel security was mostly luck.
Now, “overseas” means boarding a jet that leaves the U.S. at breakfast and can get you to Europe by lunch. Frequent flyers may have the perception that it’s “no big deal” when they can fly anywhere in the world in less than a day. Yet, when they arrive, the doors open to another country and the same risks of travel apply now as they did 100 years ago; disease, political unrest, thieves and other dangers. This is why overseas employee travel safety has become an important term in today’s business world.
New Technologies, New Problems in International Travel Security
The busy HR manager has a new set of tasks in this new, information age. On the one hand, her employees (and senior executives) are traveling more and more, but on the other hand, they are subject to the “illusion” that with their iPad and iPhone in hand, and the Internet to connect them back to the USA, that they haven’t really left. So, they’re resistant to preparing for the unseen emergencies in a foreign land, until it happens. And then they realize that their iPhone doesn’t help them navigate the German health care system, or fetch a taxi in Mexico city during rush hour.
Now, you as the HR manager have a crisis on your hands. An employee in trouble, and without due preparations, things can get quite scary, quite fast.
Overseas Travel and the Information Age = Smooth Sailing for Your Employees
Fortunately, today’s technology keeps the world small enough to support global trekking VIP’s wherever they are. If business travel includes a stay at a country in turmoil, executives don’t have to rely on “luck” to get them through it. A smartphone and some pre-planning helps business travelers stay safe and informed. Overseas employee travel safety technology like FoneTrac and IMG GlobalSecur offer threat monitoring apps to help travelers stay informed about possible security risks. IMG GlobalSecur can instantly bring resources to the VIP in need of help. Risk is always a factor in overseas employee travel safety, but modern technology helps VIP’s navigate a way to smooth waters.
The unique value proposition of IMG GlobalSecur is the synergy between a technological app, and the humans who actually answer the phone to help your employees at that critical moment. Call us, today, for a quick demo.