What is the Purpose of Having a Corporate Travel Security Policy?

The COVID-19 pandemic has become endemic in most geographic regions. Consequently, the coronavirus risk reduction has created a surge in the number of domestic and international business trips. Companies and startups are increasing business travel budgets and making employees travel to various destinations.

But traveler safety and security remain an essential aspect of post-pandemic business travels. Enterprises are revamping their existing corporate travel policies to include a dedicated set of policies for traveler safety. This is called a corporate travel security policy. 

Corporate travel security policy boosts the business travel experience of employees by making them feel confident and stress-free.

At the same time, the corporate travel security policy helps businesses cover a variety of unanticipated risks and meet legal obligations like the Duty of Care. Every organization must customize safety and security guidelines while updating corporate travel policy. But there is a slew of reasons why every business must have a corporate travel security policy in the post-pandemic age.

7 Reasons Why Every Organization Must Have a Corporate Travel Security Policy

1. Update and Communicate Travel Rules

COVID-19 has changed both domestic and international business travels. Hygiene requirements, boarding procedures, and travel restrictions vary across travel destinations. Hence, enterprises have to regularly update their corporate travel policies to boost traveler safety and security.

Also, they need to ensure that the updated travel rules are communicated to every employee clearly and quickly. Real-time communication will help employees book safer business travel products and services.

Employees can leverage the information to know how to avail of assistance and support to manage natural, technical, and human-caused hazards in a foreign location. 

2. Help Employees Plan Business Trips

In the post-pandemic age, employees will engage in work travel to build and nourish business relationships. Hence, you will travel to new destinations regularly. They have to focus on a slew of factors to stay safe in an unknown city.

For instance, they have to eliminate the risk of coronavirus infections by identifying safer hotels. Likewise, they need to minimize the risk of thefts and kidnapping by ensuring that the hotels are located in the right part of the city.

The corporate travel security policy will make it easier for employees to choose the right business travel products and services. Also, the policy will help employees minimize risks by preparing customized business travel checklists.  

3. Meet Work Travelers’ Expectations

According to the research conducted by SAP, a majority of business travelers are willing to continue work travel for business purposes. But they expect quality, security, and flexibility while planning and arranging business trips.

Businesses can meet one of the key expectations of business travelers by implementing a robust corporate travel security policy. Employees can refer to the policy to know how to get a duty of care and receive real-time updates on potential risks.

The policy will create opportunities for them to use safety and security as key parameters while comparing and booking essential travel products like flights, accommodations, and car rentals.

4. Manage Various Threats and Hazards

Often business trips are disrupted due to a variety of threats and hazards. Some of these threats emerge due to natural calamities like floods and earthquakes, while others are caused by human actions or technological issues.

The corporate travel security policy creates opportunities for decision-makers to identify and manage these threats and hazards. It will help traveling employees manage local issues like kidnapping and theft by providing region-specific briefs.

Also, employees can refer to the policy to avail of the resources required to minimize risks and manage emergencies. The policy will include contingency plans for proactively managing each type of threat or hazard.

5. Meet Duty of Care Requirements

A duty of care is a moral as well as legal responsibility for modern enterprises. Businesses need to ensure the safety and security of employees as they engage in professional responsibilities like corporate travel.

In addition to protecting travelers' physical and mental health, a duty of care helps them manage various risks. The corporate travel security policy helps businesses simultaneously meet legal responsibilities and reduce liability exposure.

It facilitates business traveler tracking and monitoring situations in real-time. Also, employees can refer to the policy to learn how to avail the support or solution required to handle unanticipated incidents and emergencies.

6. Real-Time Traveler Tracking

In the post-pandemic age, multiple employees will travel to various destinations for work purposes. Enterprises have to focus on enhancing the safety and security of every business traveler regardless of her current location.

That is why corporate travel tracking will become an integral part of post-pandemic business travel management. Also, it creates opportunities for businesses to automate work traveler tracking.

An organization can implement travel management software that provides real-time locations of traveling employees across geographies. The travel manager can use the software to boost traveler safety by sending information and updates in real-time.

7. Optimize Enterprise Data Security

Corporate travelers these days need a variety of sensitive business information to close deals and retain clients. Leading companies these days enhance data security by making employees access the presentation, spreadsheets, and other digital files stored in the cloud.

But employees still store information on their laptops and USB devices to accelerate data sharing and decision-making. The corporate travel security policy will help them keep sensitive data secure during business trips by following security protocols and rules.

Also, work travelers can refer to the policy to recover lost and stolen documents by contacting the business travel agent. Many organizations include specific guidelines in the policy to optimize the security of sensitive business information.

Conclusion

In addition to keeping business travelers safe, secure, and confident, the corporate travel security policy helps businesses minimize risks and meet legal obligations. While making a corporate travel security policy, decision-makers must focus on managing a variety of incidents, threats, and hazards disrupting business travel.

Also, they need to update the policy frequently to keep business travelers safe across destinations. Many organizations invest in unified corporate travel and expense management software to accelerate corporate travel security policy implementation.

The software tracks business travelers in real-time across destinations. It further delivers the latest travel rules, location-specific travel restrictions, and other real-time information. At the same time, employees can use the software to access a duty of care when needed.

A company or startup can leverage the software to implement a corporate travel security policy and update travel guidelines. Additionally, the software comes with features to simplify business travel booking and speed up business travel expense reimbursements.