RISK MANAGEMENT BY CATHERINE CHETWYND
The message is clear: approach apparently high-risk and low-risk destinations with the same care and attention
“And they found communicating effec- tively about actual versus perceived travel risks with their travellers was a challenge,” says ISOS and Control Risks director Tim Willis. And there are anomalies. Many corpora-
emerging markets, five are in the worst parts of the world, and that is where com- panies are going to do business,” says Ian Nunn, head of Aon Worldaware Solutions (now part of iJet). “They are sending people into environments where there are risks and they do not necessarily understand those risks.”
FACILITATING SAFETY
Rather than being a disguised attempt to prevent travel, the objective of risk management is to facilitate safe travel. But the maturity of companies’ travel and risk policies varies. In a recent survey, In- ternational SOS (ISOS) interviewed some 200 companies in northern Europe, 93 per cent of whom said they had a degree of concern that travel risks would affect their workforce, but 41 per cent indicated they had difficulty in implementing processes.
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tions do not allow senior executives to fly together. However, Willis says: “They might all arrive on different flights but often they then move around in the same vehicle – and the risk of a road traffic accident is far higher than the risk of an airline crash.” In fact, road accidents are one of the most common – and overlooked – risks connected with international travel. Pre- venting tired travellers from driving after a long-haul flight is also worth addressing. Telecoms firm Talk Talk does not allow people to drive while in Africa, India or the Far East, where it has call centres. This highlights another conundrum:
these are all holiday destinations and lend themselves to adding a few days’ R&R to a business trip. However, business travel insurance precludes certain activities and, anyway, may not cover holidays. It is in the interest of all parties to check whether
Not so mobile
ONE EVENTUALITY WHICH SHOULD BE MITIGATED is the failure of mobile networks. First, make sure travellers have some emergency numbers written down, so that they can use a landline. Other options include satellite phones and the internet. If company policy precludes use of VOIP (voice over IP) such as Skype, it is worth
reconsidering for those who may need alternative means of communication. According to ISOS/Control Risks’ Tim Willis, during the ongoing civil war in Libya, Skype has been the most effective and reliable form of communication. Another possibility is using a runner to deliver a message, particularly where a company has offices in situ.
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travellers would be covered, and travel policies should state the status quo. Embedding risk policy into travel policy
ensures that travellers do not disassociate the two, a principle that software multi- national Citrix “most definitely” adheres to, according to category manager Jef Robinson. And having an option in a self- booking tool that asks travellers to confirm they have read the risk policy is another way of ensuring they are alert to risk.
EDUCATING TRAVELLERS Preparation and briefing is all, and comes in two parts: conveying the existence and contents of the travel risk policy, which needs to be an ongoing process, particularly where the policy is new; and training to ensure travellers are prepared for the environment they are travelling to, ideally including reference to policies and required procedures, to reinforce that element. Employees’ awareness of potential risks
for medium-risk areas such as Kenya or Sri Lanka may be low. “They are all tourist des- tinations and it’s easier not to appreciate fully what the risks are,” says ISOS/Control Risks’ Willis. “This is where face-to-face, classroom-based training is useful.” Management training is also key. HP
Risk Management has many news organ- isation clients whose employees regularly travel in high-risk areas such as war zones and places where there are natural di- sasters. “We train managers extensively in understanding risk, how to manage deployment in high-risk areas and crisis management. There is no point in training travellers if their manager does not know what to do if something goes wrong,” says director Colin Pereira.
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