Three in 10 (29 percent) of travel managers reported they do not know how long it would take to locate affected employees in a crisis, according to a study released by the GBTA Foundation, a part of GBTA.
Overall, 50 percent of travel managers said, in the event of an emergency, they could locate all of their employees in the affected area within two hours or less. Additionally, three in five (60 percent) of travel managers rely on travelers to reach out if they need help and have not booked through proper channels.
The study, “How to Close Risk Management Loopholes,” conducted in partnership with Concur, explores how traveler safety protocols are executed, including the extent to which technology is utilized.
“Research reveals significant gaps in educating travelers about resources available to them and the existence of protocols should the unforeseen happen,” said Kate Vasiloff, GBTA Foundation Director of Research. “Failing to establish and communicate safety measures leaves travelers and organizations vulnerable. As both security threats and technology evolve, even the most robust protocols that once served companies well may now have weaknesses requiring immediate attention and modification.”
Regardless of which department formally oversees the duty of care program, travel managers still play a key role in supporting travelers should disaster strike, which is why the vast majority (85 percent) of travel programs include risk management protocols. Over the past two years, prevalence of domestic travel risk management protocols have increased to rival those already in place for international travel.
Despite this progress, GBTA found there continues to be room for improvement as only three in five (62 percent) international travelers are given pre-travel information and even fewer (53 percent) are given information on local providers for medical and security assistance services before leaving the country.
Methodology: The GBTA Foundation conducted an online survey of 148 U.S. travel managers from April 12-21, 2017, for the purposes of this study. A free preview of the report is available on its website.
