Group Travel Safety Policy: How to Protect Employees on the Move

Does your team feel supported during work trips? With nearly three-quarters (73% of business travelers) stating that they’d decline to go on a trip if their employer wasn’t prioritizing safety, it’s more important than ever to revisit your company’s group travel policy.

A comprehensive corporate travel safety policy outlines the practical framework for keeping team members safe when traveling for work. It empowers business travelers with emergency procedures, communication tools, and insurance details, so they know where to turn when travel disruption occurs.

But does your company’s travel safety policy reflect current risks? In this guide, we’ll go over the key considerations to include, while providing proactive safety tips for business travelers themselves.

What risks are associated with group business travel?

Traveling in a group brings greater safety in numbers, compared to solo business trips. Lone employees face unique risks when traveling, often due to communication challenges in remote locations and a lack of onsite managerial support.

When traveling with a group, team members are available to help one another should something go wrong. Yet as with any venture, there are still potential risks to consider.

Political instability

Group business trips can be disrupted by unexpected political conflicts or outbreaks of civic unrest. In the past twelve months, more than 72 countries have experienced significant protests. These swiftly evolving situations can shut roads, while strikes can disrupt services, all making it difficult to follow a planned itinerary.

• Planning tips: Teams should be briefed before travel about the potential for unrest and where to go for help. Use government resources like the U.S. Department of State and U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for the latest travel advisories.

Health threats

Whether your team is attending an overseas conference during the height of flu season or visiting a region with different hygiene standards, consider the health impact of group travel. Respiratory infections, gastroenteritis, and traveler’s diarrhea are the most common conditions business travelers are likely to face, and groups traveling together are more likely to share their germs.

• Planning tips: Compare travel insurance group policies to make sure all team members are medically covered. Travel planners can research and create a list of hospitals and walk-in clinics at the destination and put a plan in place to quarantine infectious team members if needed.

Weather events

Natural disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods carry severe safety risks, particularly for groups of contractors working in remote areas that could be cut off from the world until service is restored. Yet even mild storms create an impact on travel plans, whether it’s through delayed flights or power outages.

• Planning tips: Research weather conditions and adverse event probabilities as part of your initial group travel risk assessment. Book flights and accommodation with flexible cancellation policies and keep teams connected using travel apps that provide 24/7 assistance.

Crime and fraud

Urban centers may have higher petty crime rates, requiring additional security protocols. Depending on the type of business trip, traveling teams may liaise with third-party contractors, such as chauffeured car services and worksite construction crews. Using unvetted third parties brings an added element of risk.

• Planning tips: Only use trusted contractors from an approved list. Choose group accommodation in safer neighborhoods and make sure all company devices are secured.

Understanding duty of care in group business travel

The "duty of care" concept is incorporated throughout any effective corporate business travel policy. This describes your company’s legal and moral responsibilities regarding employee health, safety, and well-being.

To fulfil duty-of-care requirements, your company should conduct a risk assessment before each trip, considering each of the factors described above (political, weather, health, and crime/security). In the case of group travel, it’s also important to look at individuals within the group to identify any other personal risk factors, such as preexisting health conditions.

Effective duty of care, combined with trip-specific risk management, means traveling employees can go about their planned business without worry or distraction. They know that if something happens, the company is there to support them.

Why is a corporate travel safety policy so important?

Meeting duty-of-care requirements is the driving force behind creating a travel safety policy. But the policy itself is what provides a roadmap for business travelers, with all procedures clearly spelled out to prevent confusion.

A good travel policy means that employees know what’s expected of them when traveling, providing the tools they need to stay safe even in emergency situations.

The building blocks of a group travel safety policy

Here’s what to include in your company’s group travel policy to best manage risk and keep employees safe.

• Accommodation booking requirements: Create a list of trusted providers and booking platforms as well as any accommodation requirements like 24/7 front desks and CCTV in all public areas.
• Cybersecurity protocols: Define which procedures travelers must follow to secure their work devices on the road, like using biometrics, multi-factor authentication, and lockable carry bags.
• Emergency procedures and contacts: Who is in the chain of command for each trip? Define who to call in case of emergency and how to access additional support, whether it’s an internal travel manager or an external traveler support service used by your company.
• Business travel insurance: List approved business travel insurance providers, stating what is—and isn’t—covered by your company’s policies. Many business insurance providers can organize group coverage on the same policy.
• Travel technology and tools: Provide a list of approved travel safety apps. For example, the Assistance App from International SOS providers personalized pre-trip safety checklists, proactive medical and security alerts, as well as access to 24/7 assistance.
• Group communication channels: How will your group communicate with one another on the road? Define your preferred communication channel, whether it’s through Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, or other services.

How your company can keep traveling teams safe

Organizing travel for a group is often complex, requiring high levels of organization to manage individual preferences and differing schedules. A well-crafted corporate travel policy takes away any guesswork when it comes to compliance and duty of care, but you can supplement this with the following techniques.

Consider the individual in your pre-trip group risk assessment

We’ve already mentioned the importance of carrying out a travel risk assessment for each journey. But one thing to keep in mind when organizing group travel is the need to consider individual risk levels alongside the wider environmental and destination-specific context. For example, look at things like cultural attitudes, international etiquette, and the unique needs of LGBTQ+ or women travelers as part of your overall group assessment.

Team group insurance with comprehensive travel assistance

A good business travel insurance group policy is a must. Business travelers should be covered not only for things like lost luggage and trip cancellations, but also for medical expenses, injuries, and the cost of emergency evacuation. While you can pay for single policies to cover each individual passenger, this can be more costly and inefficient compared to group policies.

Another thing to think about is travel assistance, the natural companion to insurance. Insurance is the monetary compensation you receive to cover the costs of disruption, providing economic protection. However, assistance describes the actual service itself, whether it’s customer support, access to medical services, or traveler tracking. The best travel risk management programs will blend the two into a seamless package.

Conduct a group safety training session

The best-laid travel safety plans are worthless if your team is unaware of them. For group trips, set up a training session with the full team to discuss what you’ve uncovered in the risk assessment. Inform employees of common business travel scams and security risks they may encounter, whether it’s pickpockets or protests, and provide useful tips for handling these situations.

In addition to location-specific information, you should also go over the travel policy in detail. Make sure employees know what type of travel is allowed, how to book their accommodation, and the contact details they should refer to in any emergency.

Use itinerary tracking tools for real-time updates

Group travel doesn’t mean that employees will always be together. Business travelers will have different itineraries and tasks in varying locations, and some may choose to extend their stay to make it a bleisure trip. So, how can you ensure everyone’s safety?

Using an itinerary tracking tool offers a simple way to keep on top of traveler whereabouts. That way, if an incident takes place, your company will be able to quickly locate and provide needed support to all travelers.

Safety tips for business travelers

If you’re a business traveler preparing for a group work trip, here are a few things you can do to stay safe on the road.

• Read all business travel safety policies: Go over your company’s travel policy, training materials, and travel insurance guidance.
• Keep emergency contacts close: Make sure you know who to call for help if something goes wrong, whether it’s a company representative, customer support team, or local authorities.
• Use secure networks: Public Wifi networks in train stations and airports leave your devices vulnerable to cyber threats. Make sure you take recommended precautions against online crime, such as encryption, VPN networks, and multi-factor authentication.
• Choose secure accommodation: Apart from choosing hotels that come equipped with modern safety features, make sure you know where the emergency exits are as well as any evacuation procedures. Be discreet at check-in and avoid sharing room numbers with those not in your party.

How Booking.com for Business can help with group travel

Booking.com for Business makes group business travel management simple. Book and manage business flights and group accommodation from a single, free-to-use platform. As you compare hotels, you’ll be able to see specific security features for each, like safety deposit boxes, key card access and 24-hour front desk.

For business travel bookers, being able to see individual travel bookings from an admin dashboard help you provide support and maintain duty of care. Our partnership with Traxo gives an overview of all bookings with a live traveler location map. We also partner with International SOS, a global leader in health and security risk management, to provide 24/7 security assistance and help businesses make more informed decisions using real-time intelligence.

Conclusion: Integrating safety measures at every stage

Business travel brings with it exciting opportunities for growth, but it’s also important to acknowledge and prepare for risk. One of the key points to remember is that traveling groups are made up of individuals, each of whom has their own needs and risk profiles. By establishing clear procedures in your corporate travel safety plan, backed up with pre-travel risk assessments and employee training, you’ll give business travelers the tools they need to feel safe, supported, and confident throughout their journey.