Larger corporates more likely to conduct travel risk assessments than SMEs

Double the number of larger corporates than SMEs (53% compared to 25%) say that they conduct risk assessments only if the employee is travelling to an area deemed high risk, according to the latest research from Collinson Group.

Asked if their business has a corporate travel risk partner in place in addition to a travel management company (TMC) the research also found that one in 10 of larger corporates and one in 20 SMEs did not. Furthermore, a quarter (25%) of larger corporates and just under a third (31%) of SMEs reported that they did not have a risk management strategy contained within their own corporate travel policy.

In terms of pre-travel briefings under half (47%) of HR professionals at larger corporates said they ensure employees are issued with company guidelines with regards to safety and security when travelling on business, reducing to 40% for SMEs.

A similar number of larger corporates and SMEs (28% and 23% respectively) agreed that ‘internal coordination of responsibility’ was the most challenging aspect of sending people overseas on business. However clarifying the risks presented by different locations was another top concern for both business types (22% of corporates and 25% of SMEs).

A further quarter (24%) of larger corporates cited ‘staying ahead of risk drivers’ as the most challenging aspect, as opposed to just 10% of SMEs.

Almost three quarters (73%) of HR professionals at larger corporates either strongly agreed or agreed that the process of sending employees abroad has got more complicated and difficult from a Duty of Care perspective over the last 12 months, whereas less than half  (44%) of SMEs felt this way. Moreover, among the former 65% anticipated it getting more complicated over the next 12 months against 44% for SMEs.

Separate research commissioned by Collinson Group among business travellers found that over a third (36%) described the information and guidance received from their company pre-travel as ‘standardised and does not relate to my specific business travel needs or risks’. A similar number (34%) said the information provided ‘sufficiently’ met their needs, whereas 15% said they were not aware of any formal guidance at all.

Collinson Group recently launched 360 Assistance, a unique assistance solution to help corporate clients proactively manage their Duty of Care towards employees who undertake international business travel. 360 Assistance is a fully integrated medical and security advice and emergency response service aimed at corporates employing frequent business travellers, short-term assignees or expatriate workers. It has been designed to help users in any situation, in any time zone around the world through Collinson Group’s extensive global network.

To download a copy of the full report, click HERE.