Where Are Your Travelers?

Soon after the recent bombing incidents in NYC and NJ, I received calls from relatives and friends to ask if my family and I were safe and whether we were affected by the incident. It made me think about how important it is for companies to know where their folks are during a crisis, whether it is a natural disaster, terrorist attack or any other occurrence that might happen.

Many organizations have a large number of travelers around the globe. When something happens, senior management will want to know if any employees were affected and concerned family members may call as they cannot get in touch with their loved ones. Knowing where your people are, is key to establishing and staying in contact with them and providing advice and assistance.

Most mid-size and smaller companies do not have a way to track travelers. All employers have the same type of Duty of Care responsibilities, no matter what size. Knowing where employees are and being able to communicate with them in a crisis is an integral part of any good Travel Risk Management Program.

Taking the attitude of ‘it won’t happen to us’ or scrambling to find employee contact numbers after something has happened is no way to address risk. Business travel continues to increase, and the world is not trending well. Every organization with people traveling should take a critical look at their crisis response plans and their ability to communicate with their employees.