The interplay of behaviour, environment and identity on travel risk
The responsibilities and expectations for the business traveller and the employer have grown rapidly within a short space of time.
What used to be primarily logistics planning – booking flights, hotels and itinerary arrangements – now includes a plethora of additional tasks. At the heart of this is keeping the traveller safe, with both traveller and employer taking on more responsibility to ensure travel is conducted with all necessary guard rails in place.
Our Risk Radar 2024 survey highlighted that 36% of risk managers identify employee behaviour as the key driver of travel risk, while 34% point to the environment, and 30% highlight identity. These factors work together, creating a nuanced picture that companies must understand to protect their employees effectively.
The interaction between these three factors is key to risk mitigation when travelling. If one of these factors isn’t considered, then the traveller’s risk exposure multiplies. An employee’s background, experiences and identity can cause additional vulnerabilities, while their choices when in unfamiliar or new landscapes can further impact safety. By looking at each of these factors holistically, businesses can develop more comprehensive risk strategies.
Behaviour: The importance of safety protocols
If you believe behaviour is the most influential risk factor, consider whether training could be improved.
Employee behaviour plays a key part in managing travel risks. Even with the most sophisticated guard rails in place, if the traveller is not engaging in behaviours appropriate for the risk environment, issues can arise. Behaviour can cover myriad different factors. In certain settings, acting in a way that causes cultural or social embarrassment to the host nation can result in elevated safety risks. Additionally, if travellers display valuable technology or items, this can attract unwanted attention.
While the issue of behaviour is not to assert that the traveller is at fault in the case of an incident, behavioural risks can be mitigated through training and education. Responsible travel choices should be encouraged, such as not taking public transport after dark or booking accommodation in safer areas. In the pre-travel phase, effective training on how to adhere to basic social and cultural norms can mitigate risks associated with unfamiliar locations, while ensuring businesses can conduct travel to areas which might be considered high or extreme risk.
Environment: External conditions that shape risk
If you see environment as the key factor, think about whether your risk intelligence is providing the full picture.
One of the most established risks facing travellers for decades have been the conditional risks at the destination country. Given that at a country, regional or city level, risk environments can fluctuate and differ, establishing a one-size-fits-all policy for travel is insufficient. For instance, in Turkey, travel advice for western coastal area is going to be fundamentally different for south-eastern areas close to the Syrian or Iraqi border. Even within the confines of Turkey, the political, security and operational environments are so different, one set of advice would be inappropriate for travellers.
The best way to mitigate environmental risks is to engage with these risks in a proactive way, and this is best achieved through actionable, relevant and timely intelligence. Organisations need to not only monitor for potential dangers but amend their travel protocols accordingly. Risk environments evolve, so too should risk management plans. The more informed in the proactive space, the more companies can reduce potential danger areas.
Identity: Navigating personal risks abroad
If you believe identity is the most influential risk factor, it may be worth reviewing your policies.
The issue of how to balance identity risks without impinging on an individual’s character, personality or sense of self has accelerated in importance for businesses in recent years. Individuals in many cases do not want to be defined by their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity, but these factors can cause elevated risks in some areas. The risk of harassment, discrimination or persecution due to identity factors are among the most difficult risks to navigate.
It is important that businesses acknowledge these risks and build them into risk management strategies and policies. Part of the issue can be employee buy-in, with individuals reluctant to share sensitive or private information with their employer. This can be alleviated through robust and comprehensive policies, which guide employees through the potential risks without asking for additional personal information, but the greater the identity information provided, the more employers can provide tailored risk management strategies.
The relationship between identity, behaviour and environment can be complicated for businesses to navigate. The range of information needed to keep travellers safe is increasing year on year, but this is a necessity when trying to secure duty of care. Although complex, the end goal for every business is the same – keeping employees safe and secure. Understanding how to deal with issues such as identity, behaviour and environment is the first step to securing employee safety, with training, intelligence and policies often the solutions.
