The importance of Duty of Care in Corona times
We regularly hear the expression “we live and work in unprecedented times,” but what does that mean for employers and employees who must adapt to new work arrangements during the pandemic (COVID-19)? Do you know how the Duty of Care is organized within your organization?
Duty of care for business travel: what is that?
Duty of care is the employer's obligation to ensure the well-being of all employees undertaking business travel. Every employer, regardless of size, has this duty of care and is responsible for the employee's welfare during a trip. This begins the moment the traveler leaves their home and starts their journey, until the moment they put their key back in the lock at home. During this timeframe, various situations can arise: natural disasters, political unrest at the destination, or illness. An employer who sends an employee abroad or allows them to travel internationally remains bound by the legal duty of care for the employee's safety and health.
How is the duty of care arranged at your company?
How do you act when a situation arises where a colleague's safety or health is at risk? Are you always aware of their location? Do you always know how to reach them quickly and can you react immediately if there is an emergency? To act quickly and correctly, it is important that your organization has a Duty of Care policy. This prevents you from only thinking about procedures when problems arise. Don't be caught off guard and know how to act when needed. Ensure you have a duty of care and you'll always know where you stand.
Ensure due diligence and accuracy
At Uniglobe Alliance Travel, we take our Duty of Care very seriously. Assisting our clients in supporting traveler safety is our top priority. Travel support focuses on the risks and the complex and rapidly changing requirements for entering a country. Consideration must also be given to the medical infrastructure; does the country have the capability to treat personnel to international standards if they become ill? This will continue as long as the coronavirus is rampant around the world. Equally important is that companies know where their personnel have been in the past if they have visited a newly contaminated country and need to take precautions. Uniglobe Alliance Travel has partnered with CAP™ – B.V. Focuspoint International – the comprehensive solution for Duty of Care obligations. In the event of unexpected hospitalization, political threat, or otherwise, CAP™ will mediate and assist. Read more about it at The CAP brochure. This way you are always well prepared for your trip.
Carefulness is very important here. While traveling, we are able to locate travelers. For this reason, it is also convenient if the entire trip is handled by us, so that we have all the necessary and up-to-date information. This way, we can trace the traveler with the push of a button, contact them, and if necessary, bring them back to the Netherlands or (sometimes) to other countries. It is important that we receive the correct information before the start of the trip. For all our frequent travelers, we have a traveler profile with all important details.
Checklist
Many companies are eagerly looking forward to being able to travel again to renew business contacts or maintain existing ones. We expect that travel restrictions will eventually become less stringent. The extent to which the coronavirus is successfully combated will determine how long the restrictions will remain in place. It goes without saying that only healthy individuals will travel. To prevent employees who have symptoms or are at increased risk due to health from traveling, it is important for companies to create a checklist that travelers must meet before they can depart.
Here's a brief checklist of what you need to arrange in advance to travel responsibly.
- Checking travel insurance, what is and isn't covered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Checklist for determining who can and cannot travel for business.
- Check herethe current travel advice and download The Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel app.
- Document a procedure describing what a traveler should do if they suspect they are becoming ill during their trip.
- Many airlines require travelers to fill out a health declaration form before departing from the Netherlands. On the website of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Is this health declaration available for download?.
- In many countries, it is mandatory to show a negative COVID PCR test result upon arrival. KLM Health Services is an organization that performs these tests, among other services, regardless of the airline or mode of transport used for travel. Test results are emailed within 24 to 32 hours after the test in an English-language certificate. Please visit the website of the KLM Health Services for more information. Determine in advance whether the costs can be claimed.
- From a Duty of Care perspective, you could consider providing travelers with a basic kit of personal protective equipment, such as a face mask and a small bottle of antibacterial hand gel (note the small size due to airline regulations).
In addition to the aforementioned points, we have developed three handy checklists to assist you in preparing for a (future) business trip. These can be found in our blog ‘Indispensable checklists for business travel‘.
Do you have questions about a specific trip that needs to be arranged, or are your colleagues stranded abroad? Let us know, we're happy to help!
Travel Well
Linda van Kleef - Versteeg
Business Travel Consultant