THE KNOWLEDGE 3 Step-by-step guide
Tim Edwards, Health Business Development Manager, AXA Assistance (UK) Ltd
DUTY OF CARE – IT'S NOT SOMEONE ELSE’S PROBLEM
The safety and welfare of employees is uppermost in company’s minds today but creating robust strategies, guidelines and policies can be challenging. Tim Edwards shares his best practice
an emerging market or establishing stronger trading ties with countries closer to home, multinationals see the potential. It is easy to understand the potential issues a multinational might face operating in newly affluent countries with a weak or even non- existent medical and security infrastructure. However, the threat to corporate travellers isn’t limited to these developing regions; the need for assistance, both medical and non- medical, is global. The increasing demand for organisations to demonstrate a commitment to fulfilling their Duty of Care obligations is moving away from being solely a moral issue to a legal one as well. Health and Safety legislation, and more recently the Corporate Manslaughter Act 2007, both place the responsi- bility for employee welfare with the employer, and death or injury as result of their liability can end in prosecution for senior managers. Getting it right for your employees begins by planning and implemen- ting a global Duty of Care strategy. In spite of everyone being aware of their responsibilities, in my experience, there can be a number of reasons behind why this doesn’t actually happen: • Lack of leadership. An all too common view is that it is 'everyone’s responsibility'. Ensuring the correct processes and provisions are put in place
D
Tim Edwards UK Product
Manager / Business Development Manager, AXA Assistance UK
Tim is an experienced fi nancial services
professional with a background in the pension benefi ts
sector, working with UK and international
companies. In his role at AXA Assistance, Tim has designed and developed a
dedicated corporate mobility proposition that supports
businesses in their Duty of Care and Travel Risk Management responsibilities.
espite tough economic conditions, multinationals are seeing growth opportunities. Whether it is the lucrative infrastructure contract in
is therefore down to 'someone else'. • Coping with pace of change. The speed of change outpaces existing attitudes which breed cultural apathy towards the need for robust plans. Managers may stand by their long-held view that a certain country is safe, whereas current intelligence says otherwise. • It’s only an issue in the developing world. Western Europe and the United States are often overlooked as countries of risk. • It’s insured. Often the only time policy exclusions are inspected is when a claim is refused. Outbreaks of war, terrorism, natural disasters and civil unrest are just some examples of when your staff would be unable to claim under a lot of standard policies. Attitude to risk will ultimately decide the
extent of the strategy and a full-scale pro- gramme will require serious investment. As a general guide, here are some factors to consider when implementing a best practice policy.
STEP 1
Pre-trip travel information and intelligence. Providing your employees with information about their destination helps demonstrate how your organisation has an awareness of travel-related risk. Giving them access to real- time information relating to threats relevant to their journey will help further reduce the risk of a response being required.
STEP 2
Access to help, whatever the situation. People don’t want to have to rifle through a series of contacts trying to work out which number to call according to the type of trouble they are in. Giving staff just one point of contact, for advice or assistance, whether their need is medical or non-medi- cal, makes them more likely to regard the service as useful.
STEP 3
More than just a plane on a runway. Often the most difficult aspect of
“An organisation’s Duty of Care towards its employees will become increasingly punitive for those companies that fail to plan appropriately”
an evacuation isn’t getting on a plane but travelling across the city to get to the aircraft itself. Arranging transport to and from the departing and destination airports, liaising with airport authorities and providing onward transport and accommodation in the receiving country demonstrates that employee welfare is considered at every stage.
STEP 4
Counselling and support. Providing in-house training and support to the staff that will have to counsel employees during a crisis is often overlooked. Many HR staff complain that they are not equipped to deal with staff that have been evacuated or suffered a trauma when on business abroad.
STEP 5
The price of a lack of focus. Regulation, requirements and legislation inevitably follow hot on the heels of expansion and diversifi- cation. With the UK following the culture of litigation that pervades US society, as evidenced by the 40 per cent increase in Corporate Manslaughter cases, it is a cast-iron certainty that an organisation’s Duty of Care towards its employees will become increasingly punitive for those companies and individuals that fail to behave appropriately.
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE 11
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