Risk Management

Prepare now to mitigate emergencies

Manage Risks, Save Lives, Reduce Costs

Nothing trumps security, and both travel management companies (TMC’s) and their clients bear serious legal and ethical responsibilities for managing travel risk. There are endless examples for you to identify with when it comes to global travel threats. The key point is, every company should be taking steps NOW to up their game and become more prepared.

If you are in the beginning stages of developing or working to refine your current risk strategy plan, we advise you to consider the following key principles.

Be detail oriented

The more thorough your company’s risk management planning, the more effective your response will be when an emergency happens. Having the right systems and processes in place with your travel management provider and risk services providers will be invaluable in moments of crisis. Details you need to put a crisis response plan together include traveler medical information (allergies, prescriptions, primary care physicians), family contact numbers, and TMC contact numbers. Your crisis response team should have instant access to this information whenever it’s needed, even if it’s the middle of the night.

Avoid disruption

Removing your employee from a dangerous or even life-threatening situation is your immediate task when trouble occurs. However, avoiding the business interruption and reputational risks that come with an emergency situation should also be considered. If you have clients who depend on your consistent service in the field, you should have contingency plans in place to quickly maintain your obligations. These plans should factor in any legal liabilities to employees as well as your responsibilities to your wider stakeholder community.

Don’t go it alone

Working with a reputable travel management company will help alleviate many of the problems of fulfilling your corporate responsibilities. Being able to count on them to enact many of the risk management emergency planning procedures a company will need is why a strategic approach to travel management is key to a successful multi-national business (or any business for that matter).

Risk Management Emergency Response Planning Checklist

  • Confirm traveler tracking capabilities. Knowing where each traveler should be and where they actually are, at any given moment, is vital. Make sure your travel management partner’s traveler tracking program is in place and dependable.
  • Enable timely, accurate, and targeted communication. Have a clear plan for which team member will communicate with the traveler, the TMC, and the traveler’s family. Establish these protocols well before any potential event.
  • Make sure travelers have the right information and are briefed on travel risks before they travel. Your travel management company can provide you with links to State Department Advisories for each individual destination.
  • Appoint a captain for your risk management emergency response team, whose members should include Human Resources, Security, IT, Risk Management, and Executive Office personnel. This individual should be given responsibility for ensuring all aspects of your plan have been formalized and all needed information has been collected.
  • Communicate the response plan widely to your organization and integrate it into your overall travel policy.

If you would like to discuss how your company can create an effective travel risk management strategy plan or how Teplis Travel can enhance your company’s traveler safety and security through our Global Secure Platform, contact us.

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