Establishing a Responsible Travel Risk Policy for Your Business

Corporate travel is an essential part of a role for employees across a variety of sectors. Whether it’s an important meeting in a new location, an unmissable networking opportunity, or part of a new incentive travel policy, there are multiple reasons for organising a working trip at home or further afield.

However, employees who travel for work face numerous risks concerning their security, not to mention logistics and time management. Every time they venture overseas for business, the spectrum of health, security, and safety risks varies from destination to destination, which is why a comprehensive, flexible travel risk management programme should be implemented to safeguard their risks. 

This article covers the steps involved in establishing such a programme that suits your business and mitigates travel-related incidents as much as possible. 

Understanding Employee’s Travel Risks

As a business owner, you have a duty of care to your employees and must ensure their individual and collective wellbeing is protected when they are travelling for work. For you and your company’s peace of mind, therefore, having an effective travel policy to protect your workforce is important before, during, and after a trip. An effective corporate travel risk policy will typically cover six key areas:

1. Policy scope
2. Roles and responsibilities
3. Planning and approving travel
4. Travel risk assessment
5. Incident reporting and traveller support
6. Insurance

The first step in creating a secure travel management policy is to thoroughly and regularly assess the potential risks any employee may face. As a guide, risks should be categorised as either physical or digital.

From contentious borders or unrest and conflict in particular countries, before planning any work trip, check the Foreign Office website for the latest travel warnings and restrictions. You should also consider the following examples:

Physical risks

• Volatile and developing travel disruptions
• Egregious or non-existent human rights
• Natural disasters and extreme weather events
• Petty or organised crime, violence, and terrorist activities
• Public health emergencies and disease outbreaks
  

Cyber risks

• Data breaches and theft of sensitive information
• Identity and financial fraud
• Disruption of business operations due to cyber attacks

Businesses may have already implemented processes to safeguard workers and facilitate remote working, such as VPN (virtual private network) encryption, and 24/7 cyber incident response controls across their estate. However, the working environment in an overseas territory may be unfamiliar to many inexperienced corporate travellers, therefore, business owners should not rest on their laurels. 

Developing safeguarding policies

It is important for businesses to identify the specific risks associated with the locations, modes of transport, and the activities your employees will take part in while abroad. In fact, 81% of employees don’t believe their organisation is doing enough to evaluate and review their travel risks, so developing a tailored risk mitigation strategy is key.

Once all potential cyber and physical security risks abroad have been assessed and detailed, the creation of comprehensive risk management policies can begin. These types of policies should cover all aspects of the employee travel experience and the mode of transport taken, including trains, road, and flights. Businesses should consider including the following elements as a guide:

1. Pre-Travel Policies
   • Mandatory training and security briefings for travelling employees
   • Procedures for obtaining necessary travel documents and vaccinations

2. In-Transit Policies
   • Guidelines for safe transport, accommodation, and communication
   • Procedures for monitoring employee locations and supporting in-house and remote workers’ welfare in overseas locations, and during trips
   • Emergency contact information and access to 24/7 assistance

3. Incident Response and Crisis Management Policies
   • Clearly defined risk notification and escalation steps
   • Detailed emergency response plans for various incidents
   • Procedures for providing medical, security, and psychological support to affected employees

4. Data Security and Compliance Policies
   • Policies for protecting sensitive information during travel
   • Guidance on the correct use of secure communication channels and devices
   • Data protection regulations compliance

A stable and adaptable travel risk management programme demonstrates an ongoing commitment to staff safety when they set foot in uncertain or unfamiliar territory. This is also a great way of providing peace of mind that business-owned assets are kept secure.

Fostering a Culture of Awareness

Fundamentally, a travel risk management policy is rarely successful without a team of committed and prepared individuals willing to be adaptable. Companies need to establish a culture that embraces cyber and physical security risks that adapt with each journey, rather than viewing a travel risk management programme as a one-time, tick-box exercise. 

While they might travel regularly to attend business meetings and as a hands-on member of their workforce, they can establish a work-for-travel culture from the top down. This means knowing how to empower prospective and current travellers in the following ways.

1. Provide thorough training for all travelling workers
   • Implement regular and personalised travel safety training, as well as crisis response, cyber security and conflict management programmes to reinforce skills and establish a solid foundational knowledge.
   • Conduct regular refresher training sessions and real-world simulation exercises to test employee skills and responses. Reward staff who excel at implementing, updating, and achieving success across health & safety frameworks.

2. Encourage proactive communication among teams
   • Establish clear communication channels for employees to report incidents, share feedback, manage travel expenses, and raise concerns.
   • Make a habit of regularly reviewing and updating travel risk management policies and reporting processes based on effectiveness, developing global conditions, and employee feedback.

3. Integrate, where applicable
   • Ensure that your travel risk management policies are aligned with your other organisational policies and broader risk management strategy. Make sure to review their effectiveness and disruption potential as far as business continuity and sustainability are concerned, too.
   • If possible, integrate your travel risk management solutions and technology with other incumbent systems to ensure more tech-led protection, if possible. 

Fostering a culture of preparedness and continuous improvement among your corporate travellers will help you develop a policy that remains effective and responsive for years to come. As your organisation’s needs and priorities change, so can your risk management policy, ensuring that employees remain protected and reassured of their security with each journey.

With the right tools, policies and ethos, companies can confidently and decisively navigate the complex and evolving world of corporate travel while ensuring complete employee safety and productivity.