Business Travel Executive, October/November 2020

30 CS COVER STORY I s travel policy merely a budgetary tool That Business travel in the time of COVID 19 has suddenly shifted policy compliance from optional to imperative may have been largely true in the past but this years pandemic has spurred new levels of interest in policies related to risk management and corporate liability Along with some daunting challenges though this sea change may also be bringing new opportunities to tighten policy gain compliance and expand education on the best practices to protect travelers While travel policies in the past provided structure and enforced budget were now seeing a shift thats geared toward health and safety protocols says Amanda Vining president of Corporate Traveler the corporate brand within the Flight Centre Travel Group Travel managers and executives are faced with the need to mitigate risk in putting travelers back on the road while ensuring theyre doing it in the most responsible way possible As everyone in the industry knows this is far more than just a matter of image Unfortunately in corporate advertising at large you cant escape inflated claims about the emphasis being placed on safety But while some claims border on spin thats definitely not the case with business travel In fact the shift in priorities has been dramatic John Rose chief safety and risk officer at ALTOUR says that consideration of risk historically ranked somewhere between third and seventh in management priorities for business travel Price value and service traditionally headed the list But with the pandemic risk is a clear number one Yet while there may be no end to the pandemic in sight we will still need travel Rose says That prompts the question what can we adjust in our policy to make travelers as safe as possible You cant get people on the road if they dont have assurance theyll be safe he says Looking to 2021 and beyond insuring safety brings an evolving range of challenges Risk management takes on a new meaning in the age of COVID 19 says Teri Miller executive vice president of global client team BCD Travel Risks are now defined in terms of border closings quarantine requirements health screenings and supplier protocols The decision to travel will be informed and intentional she says a calculated equation of cost risk routes and trip requirements Trip authorization will become a standard practice as companies assume more control over risk management and the safety of their travelers At the same time virtual collaboration will become a strategic alternative to high priced and high risk travel This may mandate not just having policies in place but enforcing them more rigorously Vining notes that travel has always been perceived as an area where it was acceptable to experience leakage with a significant proportion of travelers deviating from policy or booking outside the ecosystem of the travel management company That may no longer be acceptable Businesses will have to make individualized choices about the level of risk theyre willing to take on Vining says Some companies can afford not to travel while others must travel in order to keep the lights on she says Where the need to put travelers back on the road is critical this raises the bar on assessing and communicating applicable protocols Personally I have never felt safer traveling but it was when I was able to take a trip and see it for myself