Borders are re-opening and travel is resuming. How prepared is your organization? The last few months have proven challenging for companies where employee travel was a routine part of business operations. COVID-19 has forced many organizations to re-evaluate and re-define what is “essential.” Business travel (as well as overall employee travel security) is one area that has required additional scrutiny.
This recent article from Business Travel News offers insight into business travel policy, which can help organizations better protect themselves as well as their employees.
Perhaps most noteworthy in this article is its reference to “duty of care.” If your company is resuming business travel at any level, any travel deemed “essential” should be accompanied by travel policy that focuses on your duty of care. How that is defined will likely differ between organizations, just as the definition of essential travel will vary. Policymakers should consider evaluating organizational travel needs and asking what, if any, additional COVID-specific measures may be necessary to meet their duty of care.
Just as the definition of “essential” may need periodic adjustment, what constitutes “duty of care” may also change. The fluid nature of COVID has required careful monitoring of rising and declining case numbers in various countries, states and territories. As the author points out, there is more at stake presently than simply whether or not a destination is open for travel. Allowing a spectrum of options for employees can help substantially bolster their safety upon resuming business travel. Changes such as allowing direct flights, which may be more costly, to providing an extra layer of travel safety options can all help satisfy a changing duty of care.
Consider how your travel security policies can best support duty of care obligations in the context of current events. Open discussion about additional policy may ultimately lead to no changes, but those discussions may open to the door to general employee travel security enhancements.
IMG GlobalSecur Employee Travel Security Services
IMG GlobalSecur has decades of experience in the security industry. Our team of safety experts stands ready to help you alleviate travel fears with our corporate travel security services including executive travel security expertise and more. In addition, our FoneTrac safety app backed with 24/7 on-call security professionals can assist you in staying safe while away from home or office. Contact us today!