Putting People First: Duty of Care is a Fundamental Responsibility!

When it comes to solo travel, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Anything can happen, from unexpected flight delays to misplacing your most important travel documents.

That's why being prepared for any eventuality is absolutely essential. As an employer, it is your Duty of Care to ensure your staff's safety, which includes being equipped for unexpected circumstances. This responsibility should be a top priority for all participants in the tourism and event industry.  

What exactly is the responsibility of the company?

There are numerous ways to fulfill an employer's Duty of Care. Generally, it’s a company’s responsibility to consider all variables and prevent physical and psychological harm to its staff. And this extends beyond simply not having enough desk space. If an employee is harmed in any way because of their work, from getting food poisoning on a business trip to working overtime, you have a Duty of Care to make them whole again.

When something reaches the level of a Duty of Care concern, it must be dealt with immediately. Legal implications aside, not caring for your employees is worse for your company than you think. Investing in workers' well-being increases productivity, and employee involvement decreases turnover and lowers costs and other advantages.

Who carries the Duty of Care responsibilities?

It's not a question with a simple, universal solution. A separate team within larger organizations may handle the Duty of Care. Perhaps you have a member of staff whose job is to oversee risk management or EHS (Employee Health Safety).

Human resources, however, is usually a company's best ally when it comes to fulfilling its duty of care to its employees. As a rule, this division communicates extensively with every other part of the company. Thus, Human Resources will take primary responsibility for issues that must be addressed across the organization.

The responsibility of employers in the travel and event sector

The Employer's Duty of Care is an important legal concept for event & meeting planners, groups, or business travellers who regularly travel abroad. What if someone loses their passport during working hours? The burden of properly resolving this issue then falls on the employer. What about arranging a taxi, so someone isn't responsible for driving after a long flight? However, many organizations only care about individual tourists and ignore group reservations and meetings at hotels. For this purpose, there is Meetingselect.

Use Meetingselect to fulfill your Duty of Care obligations.

We have created a marketplace for meeting management that provides your company instantaneous access to information regarding all participating employees. Everything is laid out for you: when, and where in the world it took place, who booked it and the employees who attended. In a nutshell, this simplifies meeting the Employer's Duty of Care.

Information such as the following is available to you whenever you need it, thanks to our handy marketplace:
Bookings can be made directly in the language of the city or country where they are being made, both at home and abroad.

• Knowledge of the initial splits that occurred.
• The most recent, accurate contact details (phone numbers, emails, etc.) for the bookers and the reserved space. 

Learn from the best - hear what our IT Director has to say about Duty of Care

Bonus: Arrange for a travel & meeting and risk insurance plan.

In order to meet your Duty of Care responsibilities, it is necessary for your organization to have a clearly defined travel policy. What kind of immunizations do your workers require? And how do people know what to do if there is a crisis? Potential disasters, like exorbitant claims and brand damage, can be avoided with a well-defined risk policy. If you are unsure where to start, we are available to provide support and guidance.