How is the rise in terror affecting corporate policies?

BOMBS in Brussels, yellow
fever in Africa: corporate
travel is all about risk
management. Corporate
travel remained steady in the
face of danger as companies
still required key staff to visit
head office and branches
and meet face-to-face, said
Bev Henderson, corporate
travel manager at XL
Sandown Travel.
“We work with some very
large corporates that are
governed by companies
overseas in the UK and US.
We are alerted immediately
from international head
office if there are incidents
in hotels and cities, and
which areas have become a
no-go zone,” she added.
Risk is assessed and
both travellers and security
officers will decide if
travel is safe. In some
cases, security officers will
travel ahead of travellers
and provide feedback on
situations on the ground.
“Companies take security
very seriously, and will go so
far as banning airlines,” she
noted.
Bev understands her
clients’ travel policies and
security protocol and can
help assess risk. In some
cases, instead of travelling
to a destination considered
a hotspot, the client will
prefer to fly delegates out to
meet in South Africa.
As a result of the risk
factor of international travel,
as well as the expense,
time differences and travel
time, video conferencing was
growing between different
countries, said Bev.
Vanessa Krook, manager
marketing, communications
and supplier relations at
BCD Travel, said: “Our
travellers are still going
to Europe and the terror
attacks are not much of
a deterrent but our global
clients are definitely using
their risk management plans
to track and inform travellers
of terrorist hotspots and our
consultants are assisting
with added information.”
“Journeys that were
once labelled as low risk,
such as a business trip
to Brussels or Paris, now
must be considered high
risk,” reported Martin
Weisskirchen, vp BCD Travel
Global Crisis Management.
He added: “A company
needs to know who will be
in charge in a crisis, and
someone – but not always
the same person – needs
to be on call 24/7 and
have the authority to put
the established travel risk
management plan into
action.”
In addition, corporate
travellers need to
understand their risk
management responsibility
and check in at regular
intervals. In summary, a
proactive plan understood by
all results in a better, faster
and more flexible reaction