Neil Matthews
When some people are on holiday they can't stop themselves posting every detail on social media. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are filled with check-ins and photos of where they are, what they are eating and who they are with.
So why, when it comes to business trips and potentially riskier destinations, is there suddenly a concern that the company is being intrusive? At times you will see more social media posts pop up during the evening or leisure time of a business trip than during the meetings and work part. The privacy issue comes up for work trips even though it is in the traveller's best interest. I'm sure if there was a crisis situation or they lost their passport they would want the support of their company and providers.
Attitudes to tracking are likely to change through the generations. Children currently in school are used to sharing their lives online and by the time they are travelling on business their feelings towards technology will be different to current travellers.
Social media also has a massive part to play in the future of traveller tracking. It's not just about seeing where travellers are but also reporting. Travellers on the ground can report on what is actually happening, which helps everyone get a fuller and more accurate picture of the situation.
Travel managers are changing their attitudes to traveller tracking as duty of care becomes more of a priority. The views from buyers during our roundtable discussion at Business Travel iQ's Responsible Travel Management conference were mixed. Tracking isn't always needed but travel and risk teams do need to think about duty of care and communication when something goes wrong. That could include something like text messages or push notifications through an app. Sometimes travellers will not be able to check in; perhaps they are late for the meeting or just forgot, so any technology that is implemented needs to be easy for the traveller to use.
Tracking should always be part of a fuller travel risk programme. Buyers could also look at pre-travel advice and other considerations such as whether the traveller needs extra protection on the ground.
But ultimately the responsibility lies with the traveller themselves; they should be more accountable. People are travelling more often and to more interesting destinations which means their awareness of countries is changing for the better. This helps, but they still need a Plan B just in case. In a few years it will be a different landscape and the changes in attitudes will only lead to better protection for our colleagues.
- Neil Matthews is business development manager at CEGA Group