Some business travellers do live dangerously, as there are risks of war, terror, crime and natural disasters in many countries where they may be asked to visit. It’s true that many small and medium-sized companies do too little to protect their travelling employees, even though travel agency chains and specialised service providers are available, and can offer suitable security solutions.
Business travellers may at times find themselves in threatening situations. Absolute security does not exist. But smart preparation reduces the risks. Earlier, when travel was focused on the rich and mostly secure First World countries, today many companies are drawn to the emerging markets. Behind the neutral term are usually concealed countries of the Second and Third World – and crisis areas.
Business travellers are an “ideal target”
From general crime and the uncertainties of everyday life, such as illnesses or ailing means of transport to targeted attacks against business travellers, these travel destinations are particularly challenging for business travellers with many dangers. There are, however, many business travel management courses available online so you can quickly reduce the risk of these occurring to your employees in just a few clicks.
For many criminals they are the ideal destination: Thanks to a suit and tie business travellers are widely recognizable, equipped with credit cards and other extras and usually carry expensive equipment with them. In addition, the criminals know in the event of a crisis, a potent donor in the background, which probably lays little emphasis on media swirls.
Thousands of kidnappings per year
Abductions are particularly feared. The good news: Statistically, they are rare compared to other crimes. The bad news: The number of abductions is increasing. Due to the high number of unreported cases, it is difficult to determine how many people are actually affected. Estimates are estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 victims worldwide each year.
Only one in ten abductions is reported, for example, the Nassau insurances, especially international companies treat kidnappings usually very discreetly, so as not to encourage copycats. Worrying is the fact that more business travellers are being abducted as private individuals worldwide. Many organized gangs of the classic kidnapping regions of Latin America, Middle East and Russia are now firmly on the fact that the victims are insured against kidnappings.
A question of knowledge
In addition to the dangers to life and limb threatens also data theft and industrial espionage. Even corruption can become a danger. For example, if the police or the judiciary are only acting against bribes and extorting them from foreigners.
Of course, most business travellers are poorly prepared, and even the sending companies have no emergency response plans in just over half of the cases. Knowledge can be life-saving. The basics include information on the political location at the destination, as well as an assessment of whether the local police in a crisis case supportive – or, even that is possible, represents another danger.
Professional safety training and seminars
Security training for business travellers can be as meaningful. For him it is mainly “get out of the victim role”. During training sessions, participants learn, for example, how to behave in a crisis – and how not to be perceived as a potential victim at all. Even against kidnapping there are simple but efficient means: “Alone the precaution, not every day at the same time the same way to the office to take and thus simply less predictable, can work wonders.”