Travel Risk Map webinars are open to the public and you can register here.

The top 3 reasons most organisations in Africa modified itineraries of their business travellers and assignees in the last year were: Security threats (63%), Country risk ratings (41%) and civil unrest (36%).

International SOS today has revealed the latest insights into the actions and attitudes of business decision-makers when it comes to the health, safety and security of their mobile workforce. The Global Business Resilience Trends Watch is an Ipsos Mori research study, which now in its second year, conducted over 667 business decision-makers, across all types of organisations which have had previous contact relating to business travel health and security with International SOS, across 69 countries.  was conducted online in the period October 2nd to October 20th, 2017.

Respondents were those who organise, influence or are responsible for their organisation's travel and risk mitigation policies. Security professionals accounted for 17% of the sample, with HSE and HR staffers comprising the next biggest segments, at 15% each.

Global Perception of Risk
63% of business decision-makers perceive travel risks to have increased in the past year, reflecting a global softening from 72% in the previous year.  However, the Americas and Australasia regions stand out with 78% and 72% respectively reporting risk in 2017.

The survey found that travel plans globally were changed, predominantly, due to concerns over security threats (58%), followed by natural disasters (43%). This was consistent across the globe, apart from the Americas where natural disasters first and security threats second.  At a these are followed by travel risk ratings (42%) and civil unrest (34%).

Risk Response & Challenges
Organisations continue to introduce risk mitigation techniques[i]. In Africa, the most frequent step taken in response to travel health and security concerns was the introduction of travel risk assessment in their travel approval process, with 38% of having introduced pre-trip and during trip advisory emails in 2017.

Respondents representing African based organisations, said that, educating employees about travel risks (49%), communicating during a crisis (49%), tracking employee travel (47%) and confirming that employees have read pre-travel information (34%) were the major challenges faced by their organisations in ensuring the health and security of their travellers[ii]. 

Dr Charl van Loggerenberg, Regional Medical Director for International SOS, says  “As threats, such as the plague in Madagascar, can be, timely insight is critical to travellers and organisations to avoid potentially disastrous consequences.” 

“It is promising to see that risk mitigation techniques are being prioritised, including annual health check up’s, which can be key to spotting any potential health issues that need managing prior to travel or assignments. As organisations continue to review and enhance their processes, it is important that new actions to promote a safe, healthy and well workforce are taken into account to help support and strengthen business resilience.”

Striving for Business Resilience
While the preventative agenda in medical and travel risk mitigation is clearly on the rise, the survey reveals that a strategic and far-reaching view may currently be a missed many organisations. Only 9% of organisations globally, updated their sustainability programme to include their travel risk policy and just 10% introduced a wellbeing policy, falling at the bottom of the risk mitigation techniques implemented in 2017.

Dr van Loggerenberrg continues “A staggering 91% of organisations have potentially not included their travel risk programme in their overall business sustainability programme and 90% are seemingly ignoring the impact a wellbeing policy could have on their travelling workforce. This is despite an increasing understanding of how these techniques can impact within the context of the GRI Index.[iii]” 

Henning Snyman, Regional Security Manager - Africa, at International SOS & Control Risks, comments, “Success in future global mobility programmes will be those that include consideration of the changing of the mobile workforce and new marketplace dynamics, including the increase in of shared economy services. The immediate obvious risks, such as the recent hurricanes and unforeseeable security incidents, will see organisations scrutinised in terms of preventative measures and recovery.”

Travel Risk Map
Today, International SOS and Control Risks also launch the latest edition of its award-winning Travel Risk Map[iv]. The map, now also in a digital format, includes revised risk ratings and social sharing enhancements. Risk ratings are the reason why 42% of organisations globally, modified their travel itineraries in 2017. 

Risk rating changes on the latest edition of the Travel Risk Map include increase risk in some areas of the Caribbean and Puerto Rico due to the effects of the hurricanes and a decrease in risk in some European countries thanks to improved standards of medical care.

View the Travel Risk Map at www.internationalsos.com. International SOS and Control Risks will host webinars based on the key global issues and emerging trends in December 2017. The webinars are open to the public and you can register here.