At Griffin Transportation, we pay great consideration to the Duty of Care principle. We know what our responsibilities to our passengers are, among these obligations being that of keeping them safe and sound, both on and off the road.
The issue of Duty of Care represents the dominant theme at the GBTA Convention 2016. A Senior Consultant at Goldspring Consulting, Kevin Iwamoto, revealed his concerns on the importance of DOC for meetings and events, at the 2016 GBTA Convention in Denver. He also talked about what duty of care signifies and what can be particularly applied to meeting and event leaders, as part of their onsite planning obligations.
During the group discussion, some best practices have been shared among the participants, ideas that we want to share with you because sharing is caring. As Kevin said, nowadays, Duty of Care is not a “nice to have,” but a must-have.
Verify if your third-party risk management partner (e.g., iJet, travel management company, iSOS, venues, etc.) can offer its services to all types of travelers (for example, staff, volunteers and other nonemployees) and also sort by group for accurate tracking and reporting needs. We also advise you to include a pre-trip “know before you go” communication session for travelers who planned to visit a mid- to high-risk area.
Don't forget to create an emergency response plan for those who travel abroad, making sure that it covers all the contingencies, including natural disasters, political crisis or military action. After all, it is your responsibility and also good for your business to ensure the safe return of every employee and contractor that represents you abroad. Make sure to add your key suppliers when designing your company’s plan.
Create a good communication plan for your travelers. You should try to make it simple and clear, so that everybody knows who to call and for what, in case something goes wrong. Integrate all the info into a mobile app and also a document that can be accessed without having to connect to the Internet. It's best to use only one main link to ensure immediate access to the code of conduct in such circumstances so that people won't need multiple phone numbers or links.
Instruct your travelers about policies, smart communications, special alerts, web pages, etc.
Make sure your travelers understand relevant details, especially if the airlines take over their flight reservations or a trip is rescheduled. Remember that your traveler-tracking program relies upon the integrity of the booked data. When changes made to the itineraries are not communicated to the travel or meetings manager, it can diminish the ability to be effective.
Don't let the unexpected take you by surprise. Everybody knows that international travel isn’t normal business. Therefore, it's important to verify what resources are available in case of an emergency and to advise your travelers to double-check their insurance coverage or other services to make sure they are available. The secrets are a pre-trip planning and advisory communications.
Be sure to possess the financial means and also the adequate form of payment to be able to buy a large volume of tickets, charter flights, hotel rooms or other last minute arrangements in case of mass guests evacuation.
We recommend you have a team approach and involve all the responsible parties when it comes to duty of care and risk management, including security, senior management, travel, HR and risk staff. Try to find an integrative solution that combines all your travelers’ needs while pointing out that everyone has duty-of-loyalty responsibilities for traveler safety and welfare, from senior management to employees. Status updates must be brought to everybody's attention, as well as the emergency situations. Another important aspect is to verify that all staff contact information is regularly updated.
Initially, this article appeared in Meetings & Conventions Magazine, on September 28, 2016.
The Duty of Care must be a necessary principle for all ground transportation providers.
We all know that arranging transportation for business meetings isn’t a simple task. You must take care of every little detail, design an additional plan for emergencies while keeping in mind that you have a tremendous responsibility, namely people’s lives, for which plan B isn't always an option.
The Duty of care is all about having a plan which ensures your employees and your clients' safety, making it not something optional but something absolutely required.
We consider that the best transportation providers are always those who, besides understanding these responsibilities, also have a clear plan in mind for meeting them. That's why Griffin Transportation makes the difference. Most of our competitors don't have the kind of management and organization required to deliver on their duty of care obligations. Our company doesn't leave anything to chance. We plan everything in detail, from one location to another, supervising the entire process of getting you there, guaranteeing your safety, security, and privacy.
We are proud to provide excellent services for our clients throughout Vancouver and the surrounding areas. We are excited to hear from you at 1 877 369 5466 and to discuss how we can comfortably, safely, and efficiently satisfy all your corporate ground transportation demands.
