Starting up business travel again? Here’s how to keep your employees safe

Global business travel shrank 52% in 2020 as the pandemic hit. But, as travel restrictions ease, corporate travel is starting to recover, with business spending predicted to rise more than 37% in 2022 to over $1 trillion.

However, the pandemic has re-emphasised the importance of health and wellbeing and the duty of care that businesses owe to their employees. Alongside the health risks associated with international travel, businesses are increasingly thinking about other travel risks that could impact staff, from epidemics and natural disasters, to shifting geopolitical tensions.

How are attitudes towards business travel changing?

Corporate travel has changed, perhaps forever. A 2021 study found that 41% of businesses expect fewer business trips post-pandemic. The travel industry has a sunnier outlook, but doesn’t expect business travel to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2024.

It’s not just Covid and the shift to video conferencing that has contributed to this change in attitude. Geopolitical uncertainty will continue to affect attitudes to travel, as seen in the 13% fall in bookings between the US and Europe in the week following the invasion of Ukraine.

Piling on the bad news for the corporate travel sector, many major businesses have also announced plans to reduce business travel emissions by up to 70% as part of wider carbon reduction targets.

Whatever the future holds for corporate travel, businesses need to reassess the risks faced by employees as part of their duty of care towards staff, and develop a risk management strategy to keep them safe. A robust, up-to-date strategy will also make employees feel valued and supported as they head back out on the road.

What are the risks of business travel and how can they be mitigated?

Risks faced by business travellers include:

• Road accidents
• Disease outbreaks
• Epidemics
• Natural disasters
• Conflict
• Crime (including cyber and information crime)
• Terrorism
• Political and social instability

However, by far the most common risks faced by travellers are falling ill, petty crime and road accidents. Cyber security is another growing area of risk, as criminals, state actors and political ‘hacktivists’ target business travellers’ digital devices to steal information or commit fraud.

Risk management is an essential part of an organisation’s duty of care towards travelling staff. A travel risk assessment is a great first step, enabling organisations to reduce travel risk using targeted policies and procedures. These might include:

Employee route tracking
Technology allows organisations to monitor journeys remotely and locate staff in the case of danger or emergency

 Employee training
This should be focused on prevention, teaching staff how to avoid potentially dangerous situations rather than solving them.

Internal regulation and compliance
This should be established in order to ensure policies are followed.

It is important to recognize that different individuals face particular risks. For example, a 2018 report found that 83% of female business travellers had reported a safety incident or concern.

The benefits of reviewing travel risk management

Safe business travel helps to avoid costly interruption to business activities and loss of opportunities. Good risk management also helps to reduce the chance of information security lapses and associated reputational damage linked to overseas travel.

There is also an important human element. Some workers will have more anxiety or concern about travel, or may have a different risk profile to their colleagues. A risk management system will help to identify and protect these staff so sensible steps can be taken to safeguard them.

A robust risk management system will also help to build the supportive culture needed to retain workers amid the post-pandemic ‘Great Resignation’. Post-pandemic, organisations of all sectors and sizes may benefit from using BSI’s Prioritizing People model. The model helps businesses to build a framework for developing long-term organisational resilience by developing robust health, safety and wellbeing policies.

How can standards help organisations to manage travel risks?

A standard like BS ISO 31030:2021 can help companies like yours address the health, safety and security risks associated with travel – providing the guidance needed to create a comprehensive travel risk management system. An effective system enables organisations to:

• Define operational processes related to travelling
• Carry out an in-depth risk analysis
• Set rules and levels of security
• Provide adequate information and training
• Adopt specific mitigation measures
• Guarantee operational management of stay abroad and arrange possible early return

BS ISO 31030:2021 provides a structured approach to the development, implementation, evaluation and review of:

• Policy
• Programme development
• Threat and hazard identification
• Opportunities and strengths
• Risk assessment
• Prevention and mitigation strategies
• Information security risk

If you have any other questions about how a standard like BS ISO 31030:2021 can help support your safe return to corporate travel, BSI members can get in touch with the Knowledge Centre’s information experts. Just another of the benefits of BSI membership.