It’s no secret that businesses have been under a serious amount of strain for the last few months. With new restrictions coming in all over the world, it can be hard to keep up with what you should and shouldn’t do, but with any luck, we’re getting back on track now, which means you can get back on track with your business trips.
Can You Travel Abroad?
To ensure the safety of all of your employees (both the employees that will be travelling and the ones in the office), you’ll need to stay on top of the current travel restrictions and ensure that all safety precautions are taken.
With a company like AmexGBT, you could be connected to a whole host of service providers worldwide, ensuring that even if things change at the last minute, you’ll always be kept up to date and have the best advice on hand to manage the situation.
It’s worth getting a professional business trip management service on board; they have connections that would be impossible for most ordinary travelers and can advise on how to act should new restrictions come in while you are away.
Should You Make Travel Mandatory?
This is a difficult question and does depend on your business and your relationship with your employees. For some businesses, travel just has to happen, and it really must be done, but for other businesses, virtual services like Zoom can suffice for a few more weeks until things settle down.
Given the current situation, it would be worth carrying out additional risk assessments and considering whether the employee is actually healthy enough to travel. If they are at higher risk from the COVID infection, it may be wise to make travel either optional or change your plans so they don’t have to go.
This will need a discussion with your HR department so as not to fall foul of any discrimination laws, and you will also need to consider what policies you have in place for employees who need to self-isolate or who become sick while travelling or as a result of business travel. These policies may be different than the response to employees who have travelled for leisure.
Should PPE Be My Responsibility?
In a word, yes. If you require your employee to travel for work, then it is only right that you provide them with an adequate level of personal protective equipment to ensure they can work safely.
It may be that the employee has their own PPE (such as a face covering), but you may decide to insist they wear yours to ensure you are covered. This is a conversation that will need to be had between yourself, your HD department, your insurance companies, and your employees to ensure that everyone understands the situation and where you are coming from.