Imagine your employee is supposed to go on a work trip but become ill during it. Or have an accident while in another country. In the office, you have procedures to help your employees during an emergency. However, what do you do when those employees are thousands of miles away and require immediate help?

Traveling always comes with risks, whether a vacation or a work trip. And managing travel-related risks can be daunting. In such situations, you may not have the resources necessary to take immediate steps. That’s where travel management companies come in.

A travel management company (TMC) can help you fulfill your duty of care obligations. They specialize in organizing and managing corporate travel and ensuring your employees remain safe while minimizing travel expenses. 

In this blog, we will dive into what duty of care is and how a travel management company can help you manage these responsibilities.

What is Duty of Care?

Before understanding how TMCs help you ensure duty of care, let us first understand what the term implies. In simple words, the duty of care refers to the moral and legal obligation a business has toward its employees when they are traveling for work. This includes providing support if an employee has lost their baggage or is stuck in the country due to a pandemic.  

As a business owner, you must ensure proper strategies are in place to mitigate any risks during your employees’ work trips. The duty of care plan helps ensure that employees are safe, comfortable, and well during the travel. 

Why is Duty of Care Important?

Duty of care is an inseparable part of corporate travel programs. As an employer, you are morally and legally required to care for your employees when they are away on business. And not fulfilling your duty of care responsibilities can land you in legal trouble. 

However, that is not the only reason making a duty of care plan is essential. Keeping the moral and legal obligations aside, it has plenty of other benefits for you. By streamlining your employees’ travel process, you can reduce uncertainties and increase their productivity. You also get an opportunity to show your commitment to their safety and well-being.

How Do TMCs Help in Ensuring Duty of Care for Business?

A travel management company can help you in ensuring duty of care for your employees. You may wonder, how? Here’s the answer.

Develop a Duty of Care Plan

The first and foremost benefit of a travel management company is that they can help you develop a duty of care plan. A duty of care plan lists your commitment to care for your employees.

To make a good plan, you must perform several processes, such as a travel risk assessment. TMCs have the expertise to carry out these processes and ensure your duty of care plan is practical and comprehensive. 

Risk Assessment and Mitigation

TMCs possess the expertise and resources to assess risks associated with travel. These potential risks can include natural disasters, health epidemics, or accidents. They also help develop different strategies to mitigate these risks and create contingency plans to ensure employees’ safety. 

Traveler Tracking

Traveler tracking is a crucial part of ensuring employees’ safety, especially if they are traveling internationally or in a high-risk zone.

TMCs have travel management software that can provide real-time employee information and track travelers’ whereabouts for their safety. This also comes in handy if the employees need immediate assistance in an emergency. 

Provide Round-the-Clock Assistance

From pickpocketing to losing their luggage, employees face many travel risks. The best way to support your employees in these situations is to provide round-the-clock assistance.

TMCs have a highly experienced team to provide 24/7/365 assistance and support. The team not only helps employees navigate unexpected situations but also arranges emergency services. 

Education and Awareness

Ensuring your employees are well aware of your travel policy and have the resources to stay safe while traveling is an integral part of your duty of care.

TMCs can help educate your employees on travel safety and provide them with the resources they need to ensure it. This includes providing pre-travel training on avoiding risks, accessing medical treatment, learning about cultural and political norms of the place they are visiting, and supporting them throughout the trip. 

Ensure Data Security

Data security is the biggest concern businesses face today. And protecting your employees’ information is also important.

TMCs use highly secure travel management software to maintain your employees’ personally identifiable information. The data is protected against unauthorized access and any cyber attack. 

Provide Personalized Experience

Personalizing the travel management process is a crucial part of ensuring your employees’ comfort.

TMCs use travel management software to understand your employees’ preferences. The software analyzes their past travel data to make predictions and recommend the best possible option while keeping budget constraints in mind. 

Summing Up

Building and managing an effective duty of care plan while also managing travel expenses and other aspects of corporate travel is a challenging task. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it on your own. A travel management company can help you manage all aspects of travel and duty of care.

With features such as setting up budgets and alerts, creating booking packages, creating a travel plan, and reducing travel costs, a TMC can help you maximize your employees’ satisfaction while minimizing expenses.