The Importance of Travel Security Assistance in Today's Volatile World
These days, the world has become smaller with the rise of technology. Thanks to the recent technological advances, ease of access to information and people has never been easier. The internet has made it possible to explore the world and travel overseas to foreign countries. While there is a lot of good that comes out of international travel, we can’t overlook the importance of travel security.
A series of unfortunate incidents can happen when you are traveling from gun shootoutsto protest, and even military coups. There is no telling where and when the next incident will happen. Therefore, staying safe while you travel is a priority. In this blog, we will go over why staying safe while you travel is important given the rise in travel assistance services. We will then touch on the importance of instilling travel risk management in your work culture before discussing the advantages of having a travel risk management policy in place.
At Crownox, we are committed to keeping you and your people safe during your travel. To learn more about how our real-time security intelligence can help you mitigate risks on your next trip, click here.
Why Is Safety Important?
Being in a foreign or unfamiliar land can make you an easy target for crime. So, what can you do? Here are some DIY ways you can mitigate risks and threats on your next trip:
- Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings at all times
- Draw lines and establish clear boundaries without being rude
- Do not invite strangers you just met into your personal space, hotel, bar or anywhere else, especially if that place is isolated.
- Avoid aggressive behavior even when you are provoked. In most cases, you will be outnumbered and a confrontation may lead to more devastating results.
- Know how the country operates in the state of an emergency
- Have all of the necessary phone numbers on you at all times. You should have your hotel and travel coordinator’s contact details
- Familiarize yourself with the culture of the country you are visiting so you know what to expect
The Rise in Travel Assistance Services
An important part of duty-of-care obligations for business travelers is ensuring the safety and security of their employees. Travel assistance services can not only help keep employees and assets safe but can also provide you some peace of mind.
Travel assistance services are quickly gaining popularity among travel professionals. According to a 2016 study by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and AIG Travel titled “Assessing the Prevalence and Value of Travel Insurance and Assistance Services,” 95 percent of travel professionals believe that providing travel assistance services to employees is a valuable benefit. The study revealed that only 41% of respondents’ companies offer risk management training and 26% provide GPS tracking of their employees. Lastly, a majority (88% to be exact) of travel professionals feel that evacuations due to security emergencies are very important.
Related: Four Things You Need to Know About Evacuation
The Importance of Travel Risk Management
Travel risk management is the process of consistently managing uncertainties that can pose a great threat on you and your people. Not only that but travel risks such as getting stranded as a result of a riot can affect your operations and undermine your reputation.
Today, most businesses embark on travel often. Some business interactions need to happen face to face in the form of meetings, international conferences and seminars to increase corporate visibility. Multinational corporations especially have suppliers based in several countries. As such, employees at times may need to travel to remote or politically unstable countries, making them easy targets for terrorism and other threats.
Considering all of this, there are a number of risks your employees may face. For this reason, it is essential to have an in-depth travel risk management policy in place to ensure employee satisfaction and safety.
Advantages of Incorporating Travel Risk Management
There are numerous advantages you can benefit from incorporating travel risk management into your overall risk management policy. These advantages include:
- Safer work ethics: Making your employees’ safety a priority will have a positive effect on your company culture. This will result in increased confidence, commitment and productivity of your employees to work for your business.
- Reduced costs: Giving compensation benefits to employees for injuries and averting sick leave through careful consideration of risks could help you save money and reduce costs.
- Smooth functioning of operations: Incorporating travel risk management ensures successful outcomes for your business. Taking potential risks into mind and planning ahead help avoid disruptions of work.
To Sum Up
In summary, incorporating travel risk management is worth investing in as it helps increase employee participation and mitigate threats as a result of uncertain factors. There is a gap that needs to be filled, especially considering that most companies and organizations don’t offer risk management training to their employees. Not only that but most people don’t take advantage of GPS tracking of their employees during missions and business trips, particularly in politically unstable and volatile countries in the Middle East. That said, the advantages of travel security outweigh the costs and as such should be implemented in every organization.
At Crownox, we ensure you and your people stay safe at all times anywhere in the Middle East. To learn more about our travel security services, click here.
