Ensuring Safety in Corporate Travel
Corporate travel is very much a part of some people’s job role, whether they’re travelling by train, car or plane. When travelling to a different country is involved, there is always an element of risk which needs to be carefully considered and steps put in place to ensure the safety of those that are travelling. In this article, we take a look at ways businesses can ensure safety when arranging corporate travel.
Travel Insurance
Businesses must ensure that their employees are protected if something does happen when they are travelling as part of their job role. This is where corporate travel insurance becomes essential. Travel insurance varies; you can pay more to cover things like trip cancellation, loss of luggage and other unforeseen circumstances, or you can pay a basic fee to cover any health issues. To give employees the best possible protection, businesses should get full cover and ensure that the details submitted are correct. All health issues will need to be declared when buying the insurance as this will alter the price. By covering their employees with comprehensive travel insurance, they can rest assured that they will get good care and that the cost of that care will be covered if anything goes wrong during the trip.
Maintain communication with employees
When employees travel as part of their business role, the employer should regularly check in with the employee to make sure everything is well, and they are not in danger or in need of help. When issues or concerns are reported quickly through regular communication, plans can be put in place to help the employee feel more comfortable and overcome the issues. Employers should make themselves available and always pick up calls from their employees currently travelling for business purposes.
Assess the risk of travel
There are certain countries that pose a higher risk of travel, and the UK government even advises against all but essential travel to some areas of the world. It’s the combined responsibility of the employee and the employer to check the travel recommendations and the risk of travel to certain areas of the world before arranging corporate travel. These recommendations change frequently. Currently, there are no concerns about corporate travel to Malta, but if you need to visit countries such as Mexico, Russia or Syria, there are significant areas that the UK government advises against all but essential travel. You can check the restrictions in different countries on the gov.uk website.
Provide travel information
To help your employees stay safe when travelling for business purposes, you should provide them with comprehensive travel information about the country they’re visiting. This should include information about the culture, potential health risks, things to avoid and how to stay safe when travelling. Make sure that employees read this information and are familiar with the risks in the country they are visiting. This will help keep them safe and could prevent any incidents that could have been avoided with some research and planning before the trip.
Use corporate travel providers
If your employees are visiting new areas of the world and you have little knowledge or experience about the safest places to stay, a corporate travel provider can help. They will have extensive knowledge about the location and can put in place measures to keep the travellers safe. They often also have people in the location who can help with any issues or concerns that might arise during the trip. For example, if you need to visit a hospital or doctor and require a translator. Corporate travel providers have lots of experience working with businesses, and finding the right one to partner with can make your corporate travel much more accessible for your business.
These are some basic tips to help ensure employees' safety when travelling for your business. In addition, employees need to take responsibility for looking after themselves, ensuring that they avoid dangerous situations and don’t put their health at risk by doing things like sitting out all day in the sun without proper sun protection. If you follow these tips and use a corporate travel provider if you’re unsure, you can help your employees stay safe and protected during their trips.