Businesses fail to protect employees against growing corporate travel risks – Collinson Group

New research commissioned by Collinson Group has found the majority of HR professionals – almost six in ten survey participants – believe the process of sending employees abroad has got more complicated and difficult from a duty of care perspective over the past 12 months.

Among the key results are:

• Just 38% of HR professionals questioned say their firm conducts risk assessments before an employee travels to a high-risk area for business.
• Of those firms that conduct risk assessments, 58% rely on a simple Google search. Just one in three use reports from a security consultancy or partner. Most (63%) rely on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office web site.
• 13% admit their firm either doesn’t have a corporate travel risk policy or don’t know whether one exists.
• 19% had no corporate travel risk partner or travel management company (TMC) in place.
• Just 44% ensure staff are issued with company guidelines for travelling on business before they depart.
• Over half (55%) think their TMC provides medical and security assistance for employees abroad if an incident occurs and over 40% think these firms handle crisis management and response, when in fact they may not
• Just 52% of HR professionals think they are wholly responsible for their company's business travel policy and 12% say there is a blend of responsibilities with no overall ownership

Randall Gordon-Duff, Head of Product, Corporate Travel, Collinson Group, said:

‘It is more critical than ever that firms employ appropriate tools and solutions, both pre- and in-travel, to effectively prepare and protect their employees when working overseas. With almost two-thirds of respondents saying they rely on Google or online searches for risk assessments – nearly double the number that cited reports from a risk consultancy – firms may be compromising already limited resources by overrating some risks while overlooking others that might be more relevant to the needs of the individual traveller. We believe that businesses should take the opportunity to consolidate and simplify their approach to duty of care ensuring there is clear stakeholder responsibility within the organisation.’

Research was conducted by Atomik Research among 103 HR professionals in December 2015. You can download the report via the Collinson Group web site at: To download a copy of the report please visit: www.collinsongroup.com/insights/report-are-your-employees-in-safe-hands.