While half of business travellers know that their employer
has invested in medical and security assistance to support them on the road, 51
per cent of those are not sure what it means or offers, according to a new
survey by medical, security and travel risk management services provider
Collinson.
In good news for companies, three-quarters of the 17,000
people surveyed said they feel their employer cares about their physical
wellbeing when asking them to go on business trips.
However, only a fifth said they were confident in using the
tools provided by their company in the event of something going wrong while
abroad, such as 24/7 medical and security assistance.
The survey, which Collinson said was conducted before the
outbreak of Covid-19, showed more companies are implementing such tools in
their policies to look after travellers, though 15 per cent of respondents said
their employer might provide these services but they aren’t sure. Twelve per
cent admitted they wouldn’t know because they don’t even understand what
medical and security assistance is.
Scott Sunderman, head of assistance at Collinson, commented:
“It’s great to see so many employers have signed up to medical and security
assistance services for their employees – and probably even more, given so many
were uncertain if they had them or not. But something needs to be done for
staff to realise the full potential of these services, such as better
communication with travellers on what they entail, what they’re entitled to and
how to tailor solutions to their own needs. Business travellers especially will
be looking to their employers and travel providers to guarantee they’re full
supported when business travel picks up again post Covid-19 and, for many, that
support is there – they just need to know how to use it.”