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It may be helpful for global enterprise companies to create awareness of their duty of care responsibilities toward employees traveling for work. These days, duty of care can be considered more than mitigating risks – it can also be about meeting the growing expectations of employees who might increasingly prioritize their health, security, and overall well-being, while potentially experiencing growing unease about current risks and threats.
Failure to adequately provide for duty of care may have severe consequences, from reputational damage and legal repercussions to decreased productivity and employee turnover – all of which possibly have related financial costs.
Is your company one that’s prioritizing this consideration? What does a company owe its employees? Here is what you need to know as you consider your role in providing adequate duty of care.
Understanding the Concept of Duty of Care
Duty of care refers to employers' moral and legal obligation to ensure their employees' safety, well-being, and security when traveling on any type of official business, such as for client visits, conventions, or internal training. Companies may sometimes decide to extend this to personal travel when combined with business trips.
Duty of care in travel management can encompass a broad range of responsibilities, from providing timely and accurate safety information to implementing measures to help minimize risks and promptly responding to emergencies.
Best Practices for Duty of Care
Employees may expect employers to proactively show concern for their health and safety through comprehensive employer duty of care guidelines. Here are some areas where companies can consider deploying strategies that support this goal.
1. Provide timely and accurate safety information.
Staying informed can be considered one of the keys to staying safe. Some of the types of information that employers might share are:
Country-specific risk assessments and travel advisories
Real-time safety alerts and updates
Information on local customs, laws, and regulations
Health and medical guidance, including vaccination requirements and tracking of disease outbreaks
2. Conduct regular risk assessments.
To identify and potentially minimize potential threats, organizations can consider steps like:
Identifying potential risks, such as the threat of crime, terrorism, and natural disasters in specific locales
Maintaining ongoing updates given how swiftly potentially threatening situations and conditions can change
Developing strategies to address identified risks, such as establishing emergency response plans and regularly testing them to identify gaps
Creating a system for reporting incidents (and near-incidents)
Providing ongoing training
3. Offer support and resources.
To help quell concerns and aid in protecting vulnerable associates, companies may consider access to appropriate supports. These might include:
Local emergency contact information
24/7 emergency assistance hotlines
Access to medical and security professionals
4. Conduct post-incident reviews.
If an incident does occur, organizations could be well-served to examine the circumstances surrounding it, focusing on factors such as:
The root causes and whether the incident could potentially be avoided in the future with additional or different safety protocols
Areas where the response could have been improved
Updated frameworks based on new information
Additional training needs, if relevant
How to Invest in Duty of Care Policies, Technologies, and Training
A proactive approach might help minimize the risk of future incidents and be perceived as demonstrating an organization's commitment to employee well-being. Here are some areas organizations might consider.
1. Allocate resources and budget.
Investing in duty of care policies, technologies, and training can require a deliberate allocation of resources and budget. Remember that these funds might also be considered an investment in your employees’ well-being as you aim to foster a safe and healthy work environment. This could help enhance productivity, employee retention, and, ultimately, the organization's reputation.
Duty of care in travel management encompasses a broad range of responsibilities, from providing timely and accurate safety information to implementing measures to help minimize risks and promptly responding to emergencies.
The budget line item might cover elements such as policy development, training programs, and technology investments, as well as identifying the team responsible for overseeing these duty of care initiatives.
2. Integrate duty of care obligations with employee travel management systems.
Offering access to this information within the booking tool can play a dual role. First, it could help travel management personnel to better track employee movements, provide real-time support, and respond promptly in case of emergencies. And it may help keep employees informed by consolidating the latest information in an easy-to-access location.
It also may provide valuable insights into employee travel patterns, helping organizations identify potential risks and take preventative measures as appropriate. The desire to provide duty of care is another reason many companies are considering consolidating their travel management into one easy-to-use travel platform rather than encouraging employees to make their own bookings.
3. Conduct ongoing training.
Companies might consider using a variety of methods to communicate duty of care offerings and policies. That might start with onboarding programs and then proceed through an employee’s life cycle, through opportunities such as reminders in the travel management system and other ongoing awareness campaigns.
Another avenue to consider is training that helps equip managers and supervisors to address concerns and provide guidance. This can help them effectively support their team members and reinforce the company's commitment to duty of care.
The Takeaway
By considering the benefits of creating a comprehensive and precautionary approach to employee safety and well-being through robust duty of care, organizations might be perceived as more adequately demonstrating their commitment to reducing risks and protecting their most valuable assets – their employees.
Photo: Getty Images
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