In an increasingly connected and dynamic world, corporate travel is a pillar for business expansion, partnership strengthening, and innovation. However, the global scenario imposes new challenges, ranging from geopolitical instability to public health issues.
In this context, the concept of Duty of Care ceases to be a legal term and becomes a central component in Human Resources strategy and travel management.
Duty of Care is the moral and legal obligation a company has to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of its employees, especially when they are traveling on company business. Ignoring this responsibility not only exposes employees to risks but also entails serious legal, financial, and reputational consequences for the company.
The fundamental question is: how to ensure this protection is effective and scalable? The answer lies in the strategic integration between HR policies and a robust technological platform for travel and expense management.
What is Duty of Care in the Corporate Environment?
The duty of care goes far beyond providing travel insurance. It encompasses a set of proactive and reactive actions that ensure the comprehensive protection of the employee before, during, and after a trip. This includes:
- Physical Security: protecting against accidents, violence, or natural disasters at the destination.
- Health and Well-being: offering medical support, guidance on mental health, and ensuring travel conditions that do not compromise well-being.
- Efficient Communication: maintaining open channels for alerts, security updates, and contact in case of emergency.
- Planning and Prevention: assessing destination risks and preparing the traveler with adequate information and resources, aiming for their physical integrity.
When an employee travels, they represent the company, but above all, they are an individual under the company’s responsibility. Therefore, a well-executed Duty of Care strategy directly reflects the organizational culture, engagement, and the professional’s perception of value from the company.
The Synergy between HR, Duty of Care, and Travel Management
Traditionally, travel management was viewed as a purely operational function, focused on costs and logistics. Today, its connection with HR is indispensable for building an effective Duty of Care program. This collaboration is manifested in essential pillars:
Risk Mapping and Clear Policies
HR is responsible for defining the policies that protect employees, but technology ensures their consistent application. A travel management platform like Argo Travel allows for configuring personalized rules that align bookings with safety guidelines.
For example, it is possible to restrict travel to high-risk destinations, define quality standards for accommodation, or limit night flights, ensuring total compliance and traveler safety from the moment of request.
Real-Time Communication and Monitoring
In an emergency, the first question is: where are our employees and how can we contact them? Decentralized management makes this answer almost impossible. With a centralized platform, companies gain visibility into travelers’ locations. Features like real-time notifications allow for sending alerts about itinerary changes, local security warnings, or emergency instructions, establishing a direct and effective communication channel.
Employee Well-being in Practice
Duty of Care also refers to reducing the stress, wasted time, and wear and tear associated with travel. Bureaucratic booking processes and slow reimbursements generate frustration and negatively impact productivity. The automation offered by solutions like Argo Travel and Argo Expense simplifies the journey:
- Agile Requests and Approvals: the booking process becomes fast and intuitive, within pre-approved policies.
- Simplified Reimbursement: using technologies like OCR and QR code, the employee can digitize expenses instantly via mobile phone, eliminating the need to keep paper receipts and fill out spreadsheets. Complete automation of the reimbursement flow ensures the professional is quickly reimbursed, preventing them from having to cover corporate costs for an extended period.
How Does Technology Strengthen Duty of Care Strategies?
Implementing a Duty of Care program without adequate technological support is a complex and failure-prone task. The Argo platform acts as a strategic partner by providing the necessary tools to transform safety policies into concrete and measurable actions.
- Automated Control and Compliance: travel and expense policies are embedded in the system, ensuring that all requests and bookings are compliant. This minimizes risks and ensures safety guidelines are followed without exception.
- Centralized Visibility: having access to consolidated data on current and future travel allows HR and travel managers to make informed decisions and act quickly in crisis situations.
- Optimized Employee Experience: an intuitive multi-platform improves the traveler’s experience, reducing friction and demonstrating the company’s care for their well-being.
- Analytical Intelligence for Strategic Decisions: through detailed analytical reports, it is possible to identify patterns, evaluate the effectiveness of safety policies, and continuously optimize the travel program, aligning operational efficiency with the duty of care.
- Advanced Integration: for even smoother management, Argo offers the possibility of contracting connectors via open APIs, which streamline integration with the main ERPs on the market, centralizing information and eliminating manual rework.
Transform Employee Safety into a Competitive Differentiator with Argo
Investing in Duty of Care is not just a legal obligation, but a strategic differentiator that attracts and retains talent, strengthens brand reputation, and ensures business continuity. By aligning HR strategies with modern travel and expense management, companies create a safe and productive work environment, even for those thousands of miles away.
Argo Travel and Argo Expense solutions provide the necessary technological infrastructure to place employee care at the center of the operation. With automation, control, and intelligence, Argo empowers companies to protect their most valuable asset: people.
Are you ready to elevate the level of your corporate travel management and strengthen your Duty of Care policies? Try Argo’s demo and discover how we can support your company’s digital transformation.
