Does Your Company Have a Travel Security Policy?

Control Risks, a company in the business of risk consultancy, recently determined that 80% of U.S. business travelers think their company is obligated to ensure their safety while traveling abroad on business. I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately, 46% say they have no clear travel security policy at their firm. That doesn’t sound promising.

According to the survey, 52% of U.S. business travelers would consider legal action if they were not supported properly. And they would be 100% right in doing so, in my humble opinion. While the survey showed travel security is a concern for employees, it found that U.S. based companies are not as prepared as they should be. You do have to question, though, whether or not the survey participants would have the same concerns if they were not asked directly. Like they never think twice about security until someone (a company that stands to benefit from the employee’s fears) asks “Are you concerned with security when you travel for business?” And the respondent is like “Come to think of it I am…” 36% of business travelers have little confidence their firm would be capable of providing the correct advice if an emergency were to occur while abroad. In addition, 54% carry no specific contact number for use in a crisis abroad and 22% have no idea who to alert in case of an emergency. Those are sad statistics.

“As companies continue to globalize and move into emerging markets, threats to business travelers increase,” says Ms. Winthrop. “This report tells us that employees feel more exposed to potential dangers but they don’t have the support necessary to ensure their safety.”

Control Risks, if you haven’t already guessed, provides security to companies for businesses who have employees traveling abroad. Despite the scare tactics of the survey, it is an important subject. You really should speak to your employer about what policies are in place. If there isn’t much support, you may want to have them contact Control Risks or a similar firm to handle such situations in the event they occur.