Guide to corporate travel safety and risk management
Every company with a travel programme needs to factor in duty of care. It's your job to make sure employees feel safe and secure while travelling, and to prepare for any pitfalls.
A travel policy not only protects your company, but it also protects your travellers, and offers peace of mind for everyone involved. And, it can serve as a point of reference if you run into an issue and aren’t sure how to act.
Travel risk management vs duty of care
What would you do?
When Tropical Cyclone Alfred hit southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales, our travel managers and 24/7 emergency service teams swooped in to support the many customers impacted by the cyclone, and its flow-on effects.
Our frontline teams handled a total of 433 calls in 3 days, 708 flight changes, and booked 232 new flights to keep travellers safe, informed, and moving where it was appropriate.
That's an example of a situation beyond human control. So how would you handle a risk situation of that scale where so many are impacted?
Risk management is essentially the overall strategy that minimises risk to the company and travellers. It's an umbrella term or a broader strategy to limit expected and unexpected risks. An expected risk might be something like delays at customs if travellers don't have the right travel documents.
A risk management program should have guidelines on selecting travel services to reduce risk in a specific country. Another part of the program might describe the plan to deal with potential risks and who to contact for emergency travel support.
Duty of care, though, is more specific. Meaning the company's legal and ethical responsibility to ensure employee safety and security while travelling for business. Business trips shouldn't be an environment where employees face hardship or are distracted.
How to build business travel safety and risk management into your company policy
How do you start building business travel safety and security into a travel policy? A good travel policy should let employees know what to expect when travelling, how to stay safe, and what to do in an emergency.
Most policies give some guidance and steps for basic things like booking, different forms of travel, accommodation, and safety and security. It all comes back to being able to focus on the purpose of your business travel. Our travel managers help navigate the complexities of travel, whether that be helping with information or finding the best travel options, so your team can focus on doing their best work.
What is duty of care?
It’s simple, really. Business travel duty of care means the responsibility of bringing business travellers home safely. This legal concept means assessing and preparing for risks that could affect employee health, safety and security.
What is a company's role in duty of care?
Duty of care is a core responsibility for a company that has a travel programme. The purpose of corporate travel is business, so travellers rely on their company to support them when they’re away from home. Often, the company is making the call on how to choose travel plans, not the employee, and they’re responsible for ensuring a good outcome.
What risks should be considered?
There are so many different risk categories that should be considered for business travel, but some of the main ones include:
- Travel closures or disruptions
- Health concerns and hygiene standards
- Natural disasters
- Political unrest and security threats
- Local crime levels
That’s by no means an exhaustive list, but thinking about corporate travel safety means assessing the expected and unexpected travel risks that employees might face.
Creating an inclusive travel policy for diverse employees
For any workforce, it's important to consider how diversity and individual needs apply to risk management. Travel policies can be an opportunity for inclusion and to reinforce overall work culture values.
It’s all about your perspective. Travel policies need to consider corporate values but also the individual needs and preferences of travellers. Listen to what employees have to say about your travel programme, especially team members who take frequent business trips. Work with HR to find out about existing DEI employee feedback and relate that to your travel management company.
Safety. It’s critical for business travel. You can use a risk assessment exercise to create a travel policy that supports your diverse group of business travellers. Your travel policy should emphasise services and accommodations that are inclusive, to avoid the concerns below.
- LGBTQIA+ travellers: Educate travellers about local laws so they can make safe choices about travel. There are about 70 countries with laws against same-sex relationships.
- Women travellers: Harassment is a common issue for women travelling alone. Provide information about which local emergency services and transportation options or services (taxi, public transportation) are recommended as safer methods.
- Disabled travellers: Pre-authorisation for reasonable changes to travel policy can help disabled travellers handle travel and work responsibilities without worry. Another good idea is to assess medical risks and medical support unique to the traveller and country.
- Racial Profiling of travellers: People of colour and religious minorities may experience negative interactions and stereotypes while travelling. Use your travel policy to communicate to employees that the company understands these risks and provides support with resources.
Corporate travel security
What’s the difference between safety and security? While business travel safety of employees is the most important risk to protect against, travel security is another piece of risk management. This includes making sure travellers understand how to keep their belongings and company items secure as well as other security measures.
Include some best practices in your travel policy for choosing accommodation, ground transportation and who to contact. Before departure, deliver information for travellers that lists all the essential requirements, like travel documents, and any risks to be aware of in their destination.
How to conduct a travel risk assessment
There are six areas to review for risk assessment. How would you rate your knowledge and preparation in these areas? If this sound new to you, chat with your travel manager and they can help you plot out your risk management strategy.
1. Preparation and flexibility
Help employees start off on the right foot. Employee onboarding is a perfect time to look at the travel policy. An updated policy that’s clear and easily understood by all stakeholders is essential. So, do employees know what type of travel is allowed and how to book a business trip or get approvals? Are there clear guidelines on what to do in an emergency?
If you frequently travel to certain countries, a pre-travel guide for travellers with information on corporate travel safety tips, public transportation, local customs on business and dress codes, is a must. Make sure to also include emergency contact information, and tips to access local authorities and government travel advisories.
Travelling can be tiring and long connection times or different time zones can lead to poor sleep and jet lag. Keep employee health and wellness top of mind by offering information on how to stay healthy while travelling.
2. Business travel insurance that’s the right fit
With so many travel risks to consider, comprehensive coverage not only protects your travellers, but it also protects your business from unforeseen costs. From natural disasters to health issues, corporate travel can get complicated.
Insurance companies provide financial and logistical support when things go wrong, and you need it the most. Make sure you know what's covered and what isn't by reaching out to your insurance provider or dedicated travel manager.
3. Technology in your toolkit
There's an app for that! The CT Mobile App is our tool for integrated travel support, and it’s a simple way to keep your travellers safe and supported on the road.
The app provides full access to itineraries, flight, hotel, and car details, plus handy extras like mobile check-in, travel checklists, and seating requests. Travellers can search, book, and change their plans in line with company policy, with negotiated fares and rates built in.
And if they’re in a jam, they can call their travel manager straight from the app, receive real-time notifications of disruptions, and stay on top of the latest safety requirements — all in just a few taps.
4. Expert advice
Travel managers are professionals who understand the nuances of corporate travel safety and risk management. Enlisting their help can keep you aware of corporate travel security risks.
We offer 24/7 emergency support from expert travel managers who know your business and policies. No matter when you call or chat, you'll be in touch with a real person who knows how to help.
5. Simplify and verify
One and done. Travel management can get complicated quick, especially if you’re using different systems or service providers.
Consolidating travel under one channel can be a huge advantage. You can save time, save costs and gain more visibility with the proper processes in place. When adding new providers, it's also a good idea to have ways to vet and evaluate them so you can minimise future travel risks.
6. Seek feedback
You don’t know until you ask. Employees travel for a lot of reasons, and experience and expectations will differ. Don't assume they can learn on the go, and check that business travellers know how to stay safe in the locations and situations they’ll be in.
What about ongoing feedback? Gathering employee input on the hotel experience, length of travel time, and other factors can help identify travel pain points. We offer special rates and perks that make business travel more comfortable. Just ask!
Writing a duty of care travel policy
A duty of care travel policy should work alongside the health and safety policy and be part of the overall travel policy. It's a plan that lays out how the company will uphold its responsibility to keep travellers safe and secure on a business trip.
Grab our travel policy template to help you get started and see how your policy measures up:
Grab our corporate travel policy template builder
Not sure where to start? No worries! We’ve got you. Here’s how to streamline your process with a travel policy template!
While there’s no one-size-fits-all travel policy for every company, following the set guidelines helps you nail a perfect-for-you policy that can see you through an ever-changing travel climate.
How to implement a travel risk management program
At the heart of your travel policy is your people, a core risk management principle. Listening to, communicating with, and training sessions are all part of the process. Building a solid risk management policy is the best way to be proactive and keep everyone safe.
1. Understand traveller needs for their business trip
Traveller needs can have a variety of meanings, depending on the situation. It can be individual preferences, meeting complex travel needs for remote regions, or working to provide information on food and water safety, or necessities during a crisis.
With our years of experience in serving travellers, we're proud of the service and support that we offer our clients.
For example, our customer, Hydro Tasmania (a leader in the Australian renewable energy sector), faces long, complex routes to remote destinations like Micronesia, often with last-minute bookings that put pressure on staff. With Corporate Traveller’s tech, a dedicated travel manager who understands their unique needs, and 24/7 local support, their employees now travel with confidence knowing every journey is handled with care and efficiency, and that their needs are met.
2. Communicate resources
Describe, explain, and summarise again. Have a crystal-clear communication plan to share with all employees and decision-makers. Use the same channels to explain any new updates to your travel policy, too. This messaging should go over how approvals work, expectations of employee behaviour, FAQs, and opportunities for employee feedback.
Communication is the first step in gaining employee's trust and build compliance with new policies. Once it has been discussed, the next essential step is training.
3. Train travelling employees
Technology and tools can be intuitive if you use them regularly, but that might not be the case for all of your travellers. We’ve worked with thousands of business travellers, and our platform is easy to use and simple to explain to new employees.
It's also a good idea to include a visual travel policy or one-page how-to training guide for people who are new to your travel program.
Download: Visual travel policy sample
4. Tools to help with business travel duty of care
So, what are some ways that you can provide a strong duty of care for travellers? Well, we've got options! Working with us gives you access to dashboards, intuitive tools and templates to help you along the way.
Travel tech that keeps your people safe
Corporate Traveller’s travel tech is designed to give you visibility and control, while helping keep your travellers safe on the road. Our online booking tool makes it easy for employees to book trips within policy, while giving travel managers the oversight they need.
With real-time travel alerts and disruption notifications, your travellers are never left in the dark if plans change. They’ll have instant access to their itineraries, support contacts, and updates, all in one place.
For travel arrangers, the reporting dashboards provide consolidated data on traveller locations, spend, and behaviour. That means you can quickly see who is travelling where, respond faster to travel disruptions, and uphold your duty of care obligations.
And if something unexpected does happen, your team has access to 24/7 emergency support, with experienced consultants ready to step in.
Corporate Traveller’s tech helps you stay proactive, not reactive — giving both your business and your travellers peace of mind.
Book a demo to see how our tech can improve travel management for your business.
Try it now: Benchmark your travel policy!
When reviewing your travel policy from the lens of risk management, where should you start? See how your travel policy stacks up with our benchmarking tool. In less than 3 minutes, you can check your current policy against a quick guide to best practices.
Looking at areas like compliance, approvals, reporting and spending policies can help identify areas needing an update or review. One quick tip is to look at travel and health and safety policies together to make sure they’re working towards the same goals.
The bottom line for managing safety & risk
Planning and prep are key to implementing a travel risk management program. Our resources and experience to guide you through the tricky areas of travel safety.
Want to create a comprehensive plan to manage business traveller safety, risk, and protect your best business assets? Let's chat about a better corporate travel safety plan for you today!
It's time for better business travel management
With the perfect balance of modern travel technology and dedicated experts, you really can have the best of both worlds.
- Dedicated travel consultant
- Intuitive all-in-one travel platform
- Search, book, and report in minutes
- 24/7 emergency support and live chat
- Traveller tracking & duty of care dashboard
- Exclusive deals, negotiated rates, and more!
Frequently asked questions
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What is duty of care in corporate travel?
Duty of care refers to an employer's legal and ethical responsibility to ensure employees are safe, supported, and able to focus on their tasks while travelling. It involves assessing and preparing for potential risks to employee health, security, and well-being, including disruptions, health emergencies, or unexpected incidents.
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How do you conduct a travel risk assessment as part of a risk management program?
Start with the basics: assess health, safety, political and environmental risks for the destination. Build in measures like insurance coverage, pre-trip briefings, local travel guidance and access to 24/7 emergency support. A full travel risk management program takes this further by combining assessments with technology, traveller training, clear communication, and monitoring tools to keep employees safe throughout their trip.
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What are some corporate travel security best practices to keep employees safe while travelling for business?
Safety comes down to preparation and support. Best practices include pre-trip briefings, secure accommodation and transport, itinerary tracking, and access to reliable travel alerts. Provide useful resources like pre-trip guides (covering local laws, health advice and cultural norms), safety checklists, duty of care templates and training materials. Technology such as the CT Mobile App provides real-time updates, itinerary details and direct contact with a travel manager, while 24/7 emergency assistance ensures help is always available if something goes wrong.
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What’s involved in writing a duty of care travel policy?
Your policy should complement health and safety frameworks, outline how risks are identified, describe escalation paths for emergencies, include inclusive provisions (LGBTQIA+, disability, women’s safety), and reference tools like tech dashboards and templates to ensure clarity and compliance.
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How do you create an inclusive travel policy for diverse employees?
An inclusive travel policy recognises that not all travellers face the same risks or needs. Consider cultural or legal challenges for LGBTQIA+ travellers, accessibility requirements for employees with disabilities, and safety guidance for women travelling alone. Providing flexible booking options, localised travel information and clear support pathways ensures every traveller feels safe and supported.