5 Questions to Ask Before Going on Business Trips

To ensure business travellers have peace of mind when being on business trips, Traveldoo have identified five key questions to ask employers, prior to departure:

• Am I fully covered by my employer in the event of a medical emergency during my journey?
• Who will arrange any health-related travel once I’m back home, and who will assume the costs?
• What should I do if my important documents are lost or stolen?
• What legal assistance may I rely on in my destination country?
• Will my family be insured if something happens to me?

As companies are legally responsible for their employees in most countries, these questions may seem unnecessary. The business traveller often assumes that all arrangements are made by the employer and that the correct insurance policies have been taken out.

In reality, it isn’t always so straightforward. Even though they are responsible for the security of their travelling employees, not all companies establish the same level

of insurance coverage and assistance resources, and not all companies always communicate clearly about the resources available to travellers.  This point is even more salient with the proliferation of start-up companies and the international growth of HR organisations.

Ensure you have the answers to questions such as, does my company insurance cover me in this location? Are the relevant provisions up to date? If not, we strongly suggest that you ask your HR department to find out more. It is also advisable to check if you know the 24/7 assistance telephone number that your company makes available. This is a practical detail that’s very useful outside working hours.

3 benefits for the company

Clarifying these precautionary travel measures and including them in the company travel policy provides three advantages to the company:

• Meeting legal obligations to ensure employee safety.
• Alleviate travellers’ stress. Not everyone is a road warrior, and in this era of rapid globalisation, employees who do not normally travel are also called upon to make journeys to destinations further and further from home.
• Offer a competitive advantage in recruiting. Few companies think to include coverage for business journeys when discussing the benefits available to potential recruits.