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From extreme weather events to a threatening situation, anything could happen to employees when they travel for work or attend a conference on your company's behalf. It's one of the many reasons why it’s important for travel managers to have protocols and plans in place to help mitigate any risks.
Adopting well-considered policies and effectively communicating them with employees may be a good start. However, upgraded technologies and systems could make a big difference in risky or quickly escalating situations. The following are some resources that could help travel managers meet duty of care requirements.
1. Integrated, Flexible Solutions
Finding a new application that can integrate seamlessly with your existing systems could make it easier for employees to adapt to additional technologies and stay up-to-date on changing rules and duty of care requirements. When picking a platform, consider one that offers API integrations for seamless data flow between existing booking, expense, and other travel data systems.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, consider a flexible solution that allows leaders to continue using some of the same systems with which employees are already familiar. These could help:
Reduce manual data entry and processing time for managers
Provide for better travel budget management
Streamline expense reporting
Offer automated policy enforcement to ensure adherence to travel guidelines
This last point – automated policy enforcement to ensure adherence to travel guidelines – not only helps ensure that employees don’t exceed their company travel limits, but also that they are staying in approved locations and traveling via company-approved transportation methods that account for safety and full transparency.
2. Configurable Digital Travel Platforms
By providing employees with a centralized hub from which they can peruse corporate travel data, managers could reduce the research that traditionally comes with booking corporate travel. Setting restrictions, travel parameters, and expectations in one system can also allow employees to tailor their travel budget limits, preferred travel methods (airlines, hotels, etc.), and destinations.
Using technology can allow employees to feel that they have some control over their corporate travel, while still providing travel managers with the information they need to track traveling associates at a moment’s notice.
3. One Centralized System for Booking Travel
Today’s corporate travel tech tools may offer a one-stop snapshot of everything related to travel expenses for a company. That might include access to things like:
Expense tracking
Automated receipt capture
Centralized booking
By allowing travel managers to log on and capture this data in real time, they can more easily maintain comprehensive control over employee movement across the entire company. This also can allow them to set parameters for employee spending, enforce travel policy (including safety measures and protocols), and more.
4. Upgrade Options
When a travel tool allows managers to track budgeting closely, they may be more easily able to cut back on unnecessary areas and, alternatively, provide for upgrades when possible. These upgrades could mean the difference between concierge services that provide extra local knowledge in a particular geographic location and those that don’t.
Using technology can allow employees to feel that they have some control over their corporate travel, while still providing travel managers with the information they need to track traveling associates at a moment’s notice.
5. Travel Risk Assessment
When your company has employees who travel abroad extensively, places that are considered safe one day may have travel restrictions the next. It’s essential to stay on top of happenings in other countries to ensure travel safety. Corporate technology like travel risk assessment tools can provide access to real-time data regarding potential travel risks, political instability, weather, and even crime. They can also provide customized travel advisories based on where a particular employee travels.
6. Device Management
While employees are entitled to a certain level of privacy, even when traveling on the company’s watch, it’s worth considering what device management options are available today that could make their – and your – life easier and safer.
Mobile tracking apps offer check-in features that allow travel managers to confirm employee location and safety when needed.
Ensuring all company phones have a dedicated SOS mobile app button to send alerts to certain contacts instantly can be an excellent way to monitor employee safety while traveling.
Password management tools can help enforce strong passwords and are used to help prevent electronic data breaches while on the go.
A smart wearable device with fall detection helps managers track employees in high-risk scenarios.
The Takeaway
There’s no way to account for every safety issue that may crop up while employees travel on company time. However, ensuring that your corporate technology is up to date with the latest offerings can be a great place to start.
The material made available for you on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal, tax or financial advice. If you have questions, please consult your own professional legal, tax and financial advisors.
