Everyone Takes Responsibility, but Someone Has to Take the Lead.

Why finance should be the driver behind Duty of Care.
 

As you read this, there are 400,000 business travellers in the air.1 They’re 36,000 feet up, going to meetings in developing markets; they’re headed to cities in the eye of the latest storm; they’re literally slipping on and off the radar.
 

But that’s okay. You’re pretty sure your corporate booking tool is keeping tabs on where they are and equipping you to support their safety and your Duty of Care requirement, right? So why worry? 98% of businesses agree, expressing confidence in their approach to Duty of Care.1

However…

25% of organisations don’t store or regularly update employee contact information.2

53% don’t have (or don’t know if they have) the resources to assist and extract employees in an emergency.2

42% don’t capture every employee trip with their booking tool — or aren’t sure if they do.2

Neary 75% rely on that same booking tool to track employee location.2

We live in a world where the “Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act” is an actual thing.
 

Duty of Care isn’t a perk or a privilege. It’s just what the name implies: a duty. This means there’s a legal obligation for organisations to look after their employees’ safety, wherever they may be.

• In the UK, the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act of 2007 holds companies legally accountable for the well-being of their employees.
• Australia’s Work Health and Safety Act holds managers liable for the health and safety of their staff whether or not they are working in Australia.
• And in the U.S., OSHA standards can lead to legal ramifications if Duty of Care isn’t met.
   

Safety is serious business, but with security teams and HR departments and TMCs at the ready, why does finance need to get involved?
 

This is about protecting your organisation, all the way down to the bottom line.
 

It’s finance who best understands the costs of traveller safety and travel spend. At the helm of this Duty-of-Care team, you’re in a unique position to reexamine your travel program and corporate booking tool to protect your business and your employees.
 

Why? Because you have the broadest view and range of responsibility. Because you have influence and impact across the organisation, as well as accountability for managing all kinds of risks across the company. Because you deal with processes that need to deliver on both employees’ and the business’ needs. And because you understand the financial impact of every decision.
 

As a result, you can help the organisation deliver a solution employees want to use, simplify the entire process, and remove the frustrations of business travel. When you do, you’ll get visibility into where your travellers are, as well as what they’re spending, plus all the data you need to deliver Duty of Care with confidence.
 

You can’t afford to be up in the air on Duty of Care.
 

Protecting and supporting employees on the road — and ultimately protecting the company — requires involvement across your organisation.

• Security leaders make sure that Duty of Care dovetails into the organisation’s big-picture security plans.
• Human Resources keeps travellers safe as part of the total employee experience.
• Travel managers and TMCs understand travel better than anyone and make it possible for you to support your traveling team.
   

It’s finance, however, who can command and collaborate with these teams to take full control over Duty of Care. Finance, with a broad view across all aspects of the organisation is best prepared to coordinate the talent, resources, and other tools to keep travellers safe and travel spend under control. Wherever your travellers are headed, in other words, finance should be in the lead.

For more details and an easier way to take care of your travellers, download the whitepaper: Who’s in charge of Duty of Care?

Blog #2 in series - to read blog #1: The Better the Experience, the Better your Compliance