Business travellers left to fend for themselves in a crisis

Many business travellers involved in terror attacks, natural disasters and other major events aren’t being contacted by their own companies. Despite tragedies becoming more and more commonplace across the world, business travel specialists are concerned that firms aren’t doing enough to protect employees out of the country.

A report from Concur has revealed that 41% of business travellers caught in major incidents were left without any contact from their companies, and 58% admitted they didn’t expect to be supported in any situation from their organisation. Firms are required by law to look after their employees while travelling for business, and with over 1,000 terrorist attacks being reported this year alone, Concur are urging companies to reassess their priorities when sending workers abroad.

“What these results demonstrate is that UK organisations are not taking this seriously and are skirting on the edge of the law,” said Chris Baker, MD of UK Enterprise at Concur. “If you’re travelling for business, your company has a legal responsibility to provide suitable care.”

Around one in four businesses have revised their policies in the wake of recent events, responding to both environmental and terror-related disasters. More restriction of movement is becoming a regular enforcement, but there three quarters of business travellers are still unaware of basic emergency procedures, such as where to go or who to contact in an emergency.

“It’s good to see companies reacting to the changing environment we find ourselves in, but the numbers show why we must continue developing the technology that gives businesses the awareness and infrastructure they need,” continued Baker. “it’s clear that awareness and understanding of duty of care needs to be improved for both companies and the travellers themselves to provide a true environment of care.”

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