In this article, we will look at ISO 31030 and discuss how companies can use this benchmark to review their own risk management strategies for domestic and international travel.

Business travel has changed considerably since the pandemic. Whether it’s heightened awareness about illness or increased threats from civil unrest and natural disasters, companies should reassess their business travel policies to ensure that employees are adequately protected.

To help companies navigate these risks, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) introduced a new travel risk management standard in 2021, ISO 31030. This new standard was created to provide a framework for travel risk managers who are responsible for the safety, security, and well-being of their employees. ISO 31030 is not a requirement, but rather a benchmark for companies to use as more and more organizations are changing their travel policies in a post-pandemic world.

Do Employees Feel Safe When Traveling for Work?

In 2023, Berkley Accident and Health commissioned a survey of 1,000 U.S. workers who travel both domestically and internationally for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to large corporations. The purpose of the research was to analyze employee attitudes regarding business travel and give business leaders a better understanding of the risks their employees face.

Download the 2024 Business Travel Risk Trends and Insights Report here

A major finding of the survey is that while most employees believe it is their company’s responsibility to protect them during business trips, employees feel unprepared to handle an emergency, such as an accident, illness, or safety issue. This could be due to an underdeveloped travel risk policies or inadequate employee training.

Ultimately, the company culture is a huge part of promoting risk management policies. Culture starts from the executive level down, so the C-suite should be the first to communicate newly implemented travel policies so employees understand them and can be prepared in the event of a travel emergency. The ISO 31030 guidelines were created to help companies begin this process.

What is ISO 31030?

Published in September 2021, ISO 31030 is designed to help organizations of all sizes in developing, implementing, and maintaining effective travel risk management practices.

The focus of ISO 31030 is to assess and mitigate the risks associated with business travel, including:

ISO 31030 aims to provide a baseline framework for an organization’s travel risk management strategy. This framework includes (1) understanding all the potential risks and (2) maintaining open channels of communication between the organization, stakeholders responsible for overseeing and enforcing travel policies, and the employees who bear the brunt of the risk when it comes to business travel.

How Should Business Leaders Respond? 

Business leaders should recognize that travel risks have increased since the pandemic. And it isn’t just infectious disease that’s causing the increased risk. COVID is here to stay, but there are other threats to travelers, including geopolitical turmoil, civil unrest, natural disasters, and violent crime. The sum of these issues combined means every organization is facing an overall higher risk profile when their employees travel on their behalf.

For companies with employees who travel frequently in or outside the U.S., the chance that at least one employee will run into an emergency while traveling is extremely high. Unfortunately, it only takes one unmitigated disaster to damage employee morale and your company’s reputation.

An effective first step to gauge your company’s risk is to establish channels of communication to receive feedback from employees before, during, and after business trips. A process that allows employees to submit feedback, records all incidents, and documents how they were handled will give organizations a comprehensive understanding of risks that may have otherwise been overlooked.

Questions to Ask When Assessing your Company’s Travel Risks

Here are some questions business leaders can ask to identify gaps in their strategy and how it stacks up against the new ISO 31030 standard:

1. Has your organization ever responded to an emergency when an employee was traveling domestically and/or internationally? If so, were there any aspects of your response that could be improved upon?

2. How would your employees respond to the following:

3. Would your employees be able to get the help they needed in a timely manner during:

• Domestic travel
• International travel

4. Do you provide employees with resources and tools to ensure they feel safe and protected when they are traveling? Do they know how to find these resources?

5. How would it look if your organization was not able to respond?

6. Could your company or your employee pay for out-of-pocket expenses, in the event of a security or medical emergency?

Worker Safety as a Fundamental Obligation

It’s important to recognize that keeping your employees safe during business travel transcends preference—it embodies a core responsibility known as “duty of care.” This is the obligation that a company has to ensure the safety and security of their workers, whether on-site or off. Duty of care is well-established in the European Union, where courts have explicitly ruled that employers owe a significant duty of care towards their traveling employees. In the United States, the legal framework is somewhat more nuanced, but employers can face litigation for negligence, underscoring the seriousness of their obligation to protect employees on the move.

Duty of care extends beyond avoiding reputational damage to the company. It also encompasses the legal and moral ramifications that can significantly impact an organization. It is a stark reminder that the welfare of employees should always be a paramount concern, highlighting the necessity for organizations to review and update their travel policies to align with ISO 31030 standards.

To learn more about protecting your employees with Accident insurance, click here.

The Business Travel Accident Insurance coverage offered by Berkley Accident and Health is underwritten by Berkley Life and Health Insurance Company and/or StarNet Insurance Company, both member companies of W. R. Berkley Corporation and both rated A+ (Superior) by A.M Best.

BAH SR 2024-91