Are Your Employees at Risk During Business Travel?

Although many companies take steps to ensure the safety of their workers on business travel, it often takes a tragedy for others to address the risks, according to Jon D. Groussman.

"Many companies operate with a feudal mentality,” says Groussman, president and chief operating officer of CAP Index, Inc. (www.capindex.com), a crime forecasting company. “They do a great job of protecting their employees when they’re ‘inside the castle’—think how difficult it is to get past a security guard or receptionist for a business appointment in a typical office building. However, they neglect to think about their employees’ safety when they 'leave the fortress and cross over the moat.'"

Common Concerns

Personal crimes, such as assaults and robberies, are the most common types of incidents that business travelers encounter, according to Groussman.

Often, companies make hotel and travel decisions based solely on price, rather than evaluating factors such as “the crime rate of the neighborhood where the hotel is located, basic security safeguards utilized at the property, or transportation after dark,” he says.

Ironically, employers go to great lengths to protect company-issued mobile devices and the data stored in them, without being proactive about ensuring the safety of the employees who carry those devices, Groussman points out.

What to Do

When making travel plans, employers should consider location and assess the potential risks to employees, according to Groussman.

He also recommends researching a vendor’s services. “Hotels that offer safety features such as card key systems and controlled access [i.e., exterior doors are locked at a certain time] are significantly safer for business travelers,” he says.

When making travel arrangements, he suggests asking questions, such as:

• Does the hotel conduct background checks on all employees?
• What types of security measures are in place?
• Does the hotel use closed-circuit television?
• What types of problems has the hotel had that might cause concern?
• Does the hotel meet the security recommendations of the American Hotel and Lodging Association?
• Are all franchises required to adhere to the corporation’s safety standards?

Groussman advises employers to educate business travelers about safety procedures and provide them with the following commonsense tips to reduce their potential exposure to crime:

• Get directions in advance.
• Do not leave valuables in plain sight in your motor vehicle.
• If arriving at a hotel in the evening, park as close to the front entrance as possible.
• Park under a lamp pole or lighting fixture.
• Ask for a room close to the front desk.
• Limit late-night travel.
• Use the buddy system when possible.
• Trust your instincts.

Groussman also recommends providing business travelers with an emergency company phone number in case they need some type of assistance, have to report an incident, or become ill. That could be a hotline or an after-hours number for a manager or HR director, he says.

"The bottom line is employees are a company's most important asset," he says. "Employers need to take steps to protect that asset, not just when employees are in the office but when they travel for business as well."