THE NEXT MOVES

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in early 2020, most corporate travel buyers saw risk management, duty of care and traveller wellbeing as being a top priority. What seems to have changed now is that it’s also front of mind for both travellers and business leaders.

A certain trepidation was inevitable for most travellers as they started hitting the road again – many for the first time for two years – with Covid still far from vanquished and other major global crises, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, coming to a boil.

In this febrile and fast-moving global environment, what can buyers and organisations do to reassure their employees and reduce potential risks to their safety and wellbeing as they travel in greater numbers again?

Current concerns
Covid may have faded a little from the headlines in Europe recently as most travel restrictions have been lifted, but this is far from true in some other regions, most notably Asia, where China continues to impose a 'zero Covid' policy. There are, however, some signs that China is ready to start reopening.

Emanuele Scansani, director of partnerships at security firm Riskline, warns that while corporates have recently seen Covid as a “fast decreasing concern”, this could change as winter approaches, bringing with it potential new waves of infections.

“If – or when – that happens, expect the reimposition of precautionary measures such as mandatory mask wearing on public transport and travel restrictions. But the return of lockdowns is unlikely,” says Scansani.

Health concerns also go beyond Covid – the outbreak of monkeypox in nearly 90 countries is also being watched closely for any potential impact on travel in the coming months.

The conflict in Ukraine does not seem to have slowed business travel’s recovery in Europe this year, apart from in the directly affected region. But its wider impact and “knock on effects” are something that corporates will have to consider when managing risk and duty of care.

“Security crises like the one we’re observing in Ukraine are not necessarily novel,” says James Wood, head of security solutions at International SOS. “What has changed – and this is impacting our clients’ strategies around duty of care – is how interconnected the modern world is. We no longer live in a world where businesses can afford to focus only on a small number of local risks. They should consider risks across the board.”

Traveller awareness
Before Covid, it’s fair to say that many travellers were not always focused on duty of care, safety and wellbeing, particularly when travelling to supposedly “low risk” destinations. One legacy from the pandemic is how this mindset has changed – at least for now.

One UK-based buyer says: “While confidence and willingness to travel has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, my travellers seem to have maintained their heightened awareness of safety, security and health.

“Thankfully we have robust processes in place, for example: traveller tracking, an emergency medical and security assistance provider, and 24-hour TMC assistance, which travellers now pay more attention to.”

Another European buyer adds: “We have always had a very robust risk management process, with a dedicated colleague responsible for proactively supporting those travelling to high-risk destinations. The key difference now is, with ever-changing Covid restrictions and new EU regulations, even those travelling to low-risk destinations may require additional assistance.”

Gavin Sanderson, director of client development for TMC Gray Dawes, says clients’ priorities have shifted during 2022. He adds: “At the start of this year, risk management and duty of care were the main topic of conversation. As the year has progressed, we’ve seen a shift to wellbeing and a focus on reducing travellers’ anxiety both pre-trip and once travel commences.”

Mark McSpadden, American Express Global Business Travel’s VP, global product and user experience, agrees that wellbeing, security and physical and mental health “came to the fore” during the pandemic.

“These considerations have remained a priority. They are a key part of the employer value proposition – today, there’s a greater focus on employee burnout, attrition, retention and talent acquisition,” says McSpadden.

Managing risk and wellbeing
With such a myriad of global health and security risks, how do buyers ensure they are best placed to deal with any situations potentially affecting travellers?

Most organisations have “tightened” policies and procedures post-pandemic, with both TMCs and security specialists adding new services, such as offering upgraded travel alerts and intelligence.

“With so much going on, it can be difficult to sift through the noise and understand how different events will affect travel plans and safety,” says Riskline’s Emanuele Scansani. “Our intelligence provides certainty to corporations in this turbulent world as we will filter the noise, verifying information, seeking and establishing facts, and assessing travel risks.”

Another inhouse corporate risk specialist agrees there can be “information overload and fatigue” for travellers and they strive to “streamline our communication flow and frequency to highlight key risks”.

Organisations also face the decision of whether they need to deploy the services of a security specialist or rely on what TMCs can offer.

“Certain sectors will always require security specialists due to the frequency of travel to high-risk destinations,” says Gray Dawes’ Sanderson. “Generally, either the size of the travelling community or their destinations will determine the requirement for a specialist security operator.”

Another key element within corporates’ wellbeing strategy is allowing travellers to make the final choice about going on a trip, without applying pressure.

“We’ve emphasised the decision to travel is up to the individual colleague and should they feel uncomfortable to travel for any reason, they should raise their concerns to their manager or the travel risk team, and defer travel or make the meeting virtual,” says a corporate travel risk specialist.

With so much to consider, it’s opportune that ISO31030 has arrived with its goal of setting new standards on managing business travel risks. It may soon become a template for organisations to improve security, safety, health and wellbeing of travellers. Global consultancy PwC has already achieved ISO31030 certification with more big names likely to follow suit.

The volatile risk environment is undoubtedly challenging but it also offers a window of opportunity for corporates to ensure they have robust, effective procedures and policies that will benefit everybody. There may never be a better time to do this, with buyers currently having the close attention of both management and travellers alike.