A lot has happened over the past few years to validate that global affairs are not static. From a pandemic, civil unrest and natural disasters to medical emergencies and crime, corporate travel is not without risk.
The perception of travel related risk has indeed evolved. As a result, the requirements to uphold the Duty of Care to protect and improve your employees’ health and safety must not be overlooked. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure your workforce is protected when travelling for business.
To help organisations navigate and manage travel risk management programmes, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) introduced a new travel risk management standard, ISO 31030:2021 Travel risk management — Guidance for organizations.
What is ISO 31030?
The first of its kind in addressing business travel, and launched in September 2021, ISO 31030 is a new standard focused solely on travel risk management. Derived from the ISO 31000 Risk Management standard, it can be used as a benchmark when reviewing your travel risk mitigation strategies.
It is targeted to all organisations who send their employees away (domestically or internationally). It is a flexible framework that your travel risk managers or those responsible for the health, safety and security of your employees, apply based on the context of organisational needs. Its implementation is vital to your business. This is especially pertinent due to the uncertainties associated with the return to travel after COVID-19.
ISO 31030 Considerations
As an employer, you are best suited to know the intricacies of your business and related risks. We therefore advise you to consider the following when adopting the ISO 31030 standard:
- Do you have a robust travel policy framework that includes procedures and approvals?
- How do you perform risk assessments on your travel suppliers to ensure your employees are procuring safe and reputable travel industry services?
- How do you track your business travelling employees?
- What are your means of communication should a crisis develop?
What are the Benefits of ISO 31030?
There are many benefits associated with ISO 31030. Like all ISO standards, when the highest standards are set, and adhered to, organisations benefit from long-term stability, in addition to:
- Giving your organisation and travellers peace-of-mind
- Demonstrating that your Duty of Care to your travelling employees is taken seriously
- Promoting a culture of trust throughout the business hierarchy
- Empowering you to adopt good travel practices across your organisation
- Increasing the likelihood of your organisation achieving its objectives
- Showing that you are regularly assessing and managing potential travel risks
- Increasing stakeholder confidence in your risk management strategies
- Identifying opportunities and threats
- Assisting in the allocation of adequate resourcing for risk treatment
- Taking ownership of your travel risk responsibilities
- Potential reductions in insurance premiums
- Improved business continuity, reputation, efficiency and productivity because the processes are embedded into your businesses
In today's ever-changing, and even volatile travel risk environment, understanding ISO 31030 standards are an essential addition to your organisation's strategy. Protecting the business travellers in your workforce is an essential responsibility - as well as a necessity.
How we can Support you
International SOS has been at the forefront of supporting organisations' travel risk management plans for over 35 years. We will guide you in understanding the core components of ISO 31030. We will assess the risks impacting your workforce and guide you to integrating them into your existing plans to ensure compliance. We can also evaluate the maturity of your Travel Health and Security Management policies in accordance with this framework.
Our health, security and safety experts have created a short free self-assessment. The assessment produces a detailed personalised report that you can take directly to your management teams. Moreover, to ensure your business gets the best out of this ISO standard, our expert team also provides ISO 31030 training.