Corporate travel – 3 ways to keep staff safe and secure

Most jobs involve some sort of travel — whether it’s a daily commute, trips to business conferences or longer stints spent working in international offices.

And Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) research published in May 2017 revealed that over half of bosses surveyed felt underprepared to manage issues like safety, visa paperwork and employee health.

But you can take the stress out of corporate travel arrangements by implementing these three ways to keep staff safe and secure.

1. Immigration advice

Passports from major western nations like the US, Britain and Canada enable short-term visa free entry to many nations, making it easy to presume free entry applies worldwide.

But it’s not always the case. For instance, British citizens travelling to nations like Afghanistan or Russia require visas to travel — while entry clearance at port in nations like Bahrain is only granted at the discretion of the immigration officer on duty.

In advance of booking tickets, check the latest government foreign travel advice in your home nation for entry requirements and updates on security issues like crime and terrorism.

If staff do require visas, paying for the advice of a qualified global immigration consultant ensures they have all their paperwork in order so that the application process is smooth and successful.

2. Travel insurance

Business travel insurance goes hand-in-hand with checking visa requirements and booking flights and accommodation.

In fact, documentary evidence of a valid travel insurance policy is a prerequisite for a visa being granted in some countries.

Even if staff don’t have any pre-existing medical conditions, paying for their corporate travel insurance package provides peace of mind and protection in the unlikely event that anything untoward or unexpected occurs during their trip.

Robust packages will feature 24-hour medical cover, payments for delayed flights and lost luggage and emergency medical repatriation and costs vary depending on your destination.

3. Payroll

If employees are spending extended periods abroad away from family, they’ll want to feel assured that their finances are in order while they’re away.

And if you’re a startup company trying to streamline, mistakes can be made by trying to take on the responsibility for HR functions like staff salary payments and taxation without the relevant expertise.

But on the other hand, employing full-time HR staff might be too much of an expense while you’re finding your feet.

Payroll outsourcing software provides in-built accuracy and ensures that any employees working permanently abroad are compliant with their own tax regimes.

And on a basic level, when staff know they’ll always be paid precisely and on time, they can concentrate on the task in hand while they’re working further afield.

Corporate travel is crucial to any business that has ambitions to work on a nationwide or international level — these three ways to keep staff safe and secure will ensure it’s a pleasure rather than a pain for all parties.

How does your business handle corporate travel? Share your thoughts in the comments section.