Duty of care in corporate travel

When you run a business, your employees are your responsibility when it comes to the workplace. That is why we conduct health and safety checks and also ensure their safe and secure while at work. We want to ensure they stay healthy and well while under our duty of care. After all, you want your employees to enjoy working at your business and become long-standing employees who thrive and offer good productivity at the workplace. While you should make a plan for their duty of care at the workplace such as putting in adequate work breaks and ensuring the building stays clean, you also need to think about corporate travel.

After all, even when employees are on the move, if this is due to your company, you have a responsibility to ensure they stay safe and healthy under your care. There are risks when it comes to corporate travel so you need to plan. Therefore, here is exactly what you need to do when it comes to corporate travel.

What exactly is the duty of care?

The first thing we need to do is clarify exactly what duty of care is as it’s a core policy that you need as a business. It’s a legal requirement that you have a duty of care policy in place for your employees. When you start a business, you need to sort this out straightaway and this is to be referred to by your human resources team as you run the business. A duty of care policy needs to take into account any issues that might occur in regards to your employees. Their well-being both emotionally and physically needs to be taken into account and you need a plan of action to ensure that this occurs. 

Companies tend to look at the potential risks and how they can reduce these for the sake of their employee's well-being, as well as any potential legal implications for the business. After all, if an employee was injured and sued the company, you could end up in financial ruin. The main things that a duty of plan looks at are health and safety in the company, any food offerings in place, the fire safety of the building, discrimination and stress just to name a few. All employers need to show they have gone through these with the safety of their employees as a great priority. They need to show as a company they have gone through risks and put in place anything that could affect an employee’s physical or mental health.

Why duty of care should be considered in corporate travel?

Now we have discussed the duty of care in the workplace, you need to start thinking about the duty of care when it comes to corporate travel. Here are some of the reasons why the duty of care should be considered in corporate travel.

The reason they are travelling is due to your business

It’s a different set of circumstances if your employee runs into any issues when travelling on vacation due to leisure purposes. Of course, you might need to step in and help if necessary, but it’s down to the employee for the reason for travel. But when they are travelling due to business, they are still your responsibility with their physical and mental health of great importance. If they run into any issues when away, your business needs to sort the problems and make sure they are back on to safe, home ground before long. Therefore, any time they travel, you need to remember that their duty of care is on you.

You need a plan of action if the worst occurs

Unfortunately, there are many risks during corporate travel. While you hope the journey is smooth and the employee doesn’t run into any issues when away, there is always that chance that they might and you need to know what to do if that occurs. Duty of care procedures must be put in place so that the employer knows exactly what they can do for the employee if something does occur during the travel. 

Otherwise, with no plan of action, it could end up costing the company a fortune and leave the employee at risk if you have no plan of action in place to help them if a disaster does occur. After all, you will have to find last-minute plans to get them home. With no plan, it can mean a very stressful experience for you and your team to try and deal with the timely situation.

You need a plan even if your employees don’t travel often

A lot of companies might avoid making a plan if they don’t need to send their employees on corporate travel very often. But new risks are occurring all the time when it comes to travel so the employee must have the necessary support if they do make the journey and need assistance while abroad. 

That way, you can carry out the plan of action and save your employee from distress. Also, if you do decide to conduct more corporate travel over time, you already have all the plans in place for this to happen without another stressful occurrence.

To reassure your employees they are protected

As well as taking into consideration how your business will deal with any problems that will occur, the duty of care in place also means the employee will feel reassured. After all, they are travelling to an unknown place, potentially on their own which can be quite daunting. If something goes wrong, they will be highly concerned if there is no plan of action back at base. Therefore, having a duty of care in place for corporate travel and this being told to the employee will help them feel assured that they have help on hand if they get stuck.

They are more likely to be willing to do the journey if they know their well-being has been thought of by their employer. And you can encourage them to take on further travel if everything runs smoothly with any problems that occur ironed out quickly.

What are the common issues that could occur during corporate travel? 

So now we have discussed why the duty of care is highly important when it comes to corporate travel, here are some of the main issues that could occur during corporate travel and therefore why you need a plan of action when conducting corporate travel. 

Flight delays/cancelled

It’s important in this day in age that you have a plan of action if an employee has a delay with their flight or it is unfortunately cancelled. You have a duty of care for this employee and need to have a plan of action if this does happen. From arranging other flights to sorting out accommodation, you need to ensure your employee has a plan B if this does happen. And the same applies if they have made the trip via train or boat. If one of these has been cancelled, your duty of care procedure needs to come into play.

Important documents lost/stolen

You also need to ensure you have a plan of action if your member of staff runs into issues such as losing important documents while away. If they are abroad, they might not be able to travel back if this occurs. From helping them to find accommodation until their documents arrive to finding help if it has been stolen, you need to be on top of this situation.

Illness while away

If your employee gets ill while away, you also need to ensure they get the medical help they need. From helping them to get the medical attention they need to put up the funds to pay for their medical care, you need to have a plan of action on what to do if they are not well while away. That way, you know exactly what to do if they get ill while away. Ensure your staff member has up-to-date insurance too before they travel. That way, the company has a possibility of being paid back if they have to pay for treatment.

Accident while on corporate travel 

You also need a duty of care plan in place in case they get into an accident while on the trip. For instance, if you have hired them a car and they have an accident while in this vehicle, you need a plan on what you can do about any claims and sourcing another vehicle. If they are in an accident with someone else driving, you will still have to assist in helping them to get medical attention.

Tips for a duty of care plan for corporate travel 

It’s so important that you make a duty of care plan not only because it’s now a legal requirement but because lawsuits are on the rise for businesses. When you have a plan with documents showing you have followed strict safety plans, found resources and conducted any training necessary, you are protecting yourself against any potential lawsuits from employees in the future.

As well as ensuring you have conducted a risk assessment, a duty of care plan which looks at any potential risks is also highly important. Here are some tips on arranging the plan.

Go through the protocol for pre-travel

You should have a set plan in place for pre-travel that is followed rigorously to ensure the trip goes to plan. From checking any global reports to see any risks that are occurring at that current time to ensuring you have all the employee's contact and health information, you need this all on hand in case it’s needed.

Plan any essential technology

Being able to track where they are if they went missing or were lost and needed guidance is essential so giving them technology which helps show their location is essential. Giving them a specific phone for corporate travel is a good idea.

Work with a travel management company

You might want to work with a travel management company that is experienced in corporate travel and can ensure the needs of both the employee and the company are kept in mind. From offering 24/7 assistance to helping you with a clear strategy with your duty of care, they are worth investing in for larger companies.