Business travel duty of care refers to a company's responsibility to protect employees' health, safety, and well-being while traveling for work. As corporate travel becomes more complex and global, duty of care has evolved into a structured business function that combines travel policy, risk management, real-time communication, and trusted service providers.
Without a system in place, companies can have limited oversight of employee travel and fewer options to support travelers when issues arise. With a comprehensive approach to duty of care, organizations can identify risks before travel begins, support employees while on the road, and respond quickly in the event of an emergency.
In this article you'll learn:
What is business travel duty of care?
Business travel duty of care is the legal and ethical obligation employers have to ensure their employees remain safe and supported when traveling on company business. This responsibility applies to all trip phases:
- Before travel: Risk assessment, itinerary review, and traveler briefings
- During travel: Real-time communication, trip monitoring, and access to safe transportation
- After travel: Post-trip reporting and evaluation of travel risks
Duty of care is not limited to international travel; it also applies to domestic business trips, conferences, customer visits, and daily rental mobility used between meetings. Well-structured duty of care programs ensure that:
- Employees understand safety expectations
- Employers track travel locations and itineraries
- Companies have procedures to support travelers when plans change or emergencies arise
Why is duty of care important in corporate travel?
Duty of care plays a central role in protecting both employees and organizations. Without a clear framework, businesses risk inconsistent safety standards, poor emergency response, and compliance gaps.
A strong duty of care approach delivers tangible benefits:
- Employee protection: Ensures travelers receive suitable guidance, mobility, and support.
- Reduced liability exposure: Demonstrates that companies take reasonable precautions to meet legal responsibilities.
- Improved traveler confidence: Employees feel safer knowing that safeguards and emergency protocols are in place.
- Operational continuity: Faster recovery from disruptions such as delays, weather events, or health incidents.
- Policy compliance: Clear processes help travelers book approved accommodations and transportation.
For growing organizations and small-to-medium businesses, duty of care helps standardize safety practices as travel volume expands across regions and markets.
Key elements of business travel duty of care
Risk identification and assessment
Duty of care begins with understanding travel risks. These include:
- Destination safety considerations
- Transportation reliability
- Health or environmental factors
- Political or weather-related disruptions
Pre-trip reviews allow companies to flag elevated-risk travel and share destination guidance or contingency plans before employees depart.
Real-time communication and monitoring
During travel, companies need visibility into employee movements and the ability to communicate quickly when disruptions occur. Maintaining communication channels enables companies to share updates and check in with travelers if safety concerns arise. Oversight tools provide:
- Trip itinerary tracking
- Emergency notifications
- Location awareness
- Policy compliance alerts
Emergency support and response planning
Duty of care planning includes clear protocols for emergencies, such as:
- Medical situations
- Transportation breakdowns
- Natural events or security concerns
Employees should always know:
- Who to contact
- What support services are available
- How the company will assist with onward transportation or trip changes
Data privacy and compliance
Travel monitoring relies on collecting itinerary and traveler data. Ensuring transparency strengthens employee trust and meets regulatory obligations. Companies must balance duty of care with privacy compliance by:
- Storing data securely
- Limiting access to authorized users only
- Communicating clearly how travel data is used
Responsibility assignment
Successful duty of care programs clearly define responsibilities:
| Role | Duty of care responsibility |
|---|---|
Employer / Travel Manager | Establish and communicate travel policies, evaluate risks, select trusted service providers, and maintain emergency procedures. |
Line Managers | Approve trips, confirm policy compliance, and address risk concerns. |
Employees | Follow safety guidance, book approved services, and report concerns or disruptions. |
Travel partners | Provide safe, reliable travel services aligned with company policy. |
How can companies implement duty of care in travel policies?
Companies can create compliant and practical duty of care business travel programs by following these 5 essential steps.
Step 1: Build safety into your travel policy
A clear duty of care travel policy defines how safety responsibilities are applied in practice across corporate travel. A strong policy includes:
- Approved booking channels for flights, lodging, and ground transportation
- Safety standards for accommodation and mobility providers
- Emergency contact procedures
- Guidance for high-risk destinations or situations
Step 2: Centralize travel data
Centralization improves visibility and enables faster intervention when incidents occur. Using a single booking platform or management tool allows companies to:
- Track all employee travel itineraries
- Maintain up-to-date contact details
- Ensure consistent policy compliance
Step 3: Communicate expectations clearly
Clear pre-trip communication reduces uncertainty and strengthens travelers' preparedness. Employees should understand:
- Booking processes and approved suppliers
- Emergency communication channels
- What support they can expect from the company
Step 4: Partner with reliable travel service providers
Duty of care depends on choosing partners who can meet safety and service standards. Reliable partners reduce logistical risks and support swift rebooking if plans change. This includes vetted suppliers for:
- Flights and hotels
- Transportation services
- Mobility rentals
Step 5: Review and improve regularly
Regular reviews help companies refine policies and business travel management while identifying opportunities to improve traveler safety. Organizations should periodically assess:
- Past incidents or travel disruptions
- Policy compliance rates
- Traveler feedback
What tools and services can support business travel duty of care?
Modern duty of care relies on technology and service partnerships working together. When these tools integrate into a single ecosystem, companies gain real-time control over employee travel from booking to trip completion.
Common support tools include:
- Travel booking platforms: Centralize itineraries and approvals
- Expense management systems: Validate compliant spending
- Communication apps: Deliver emergency alerts
- Mobility service partners: Provide safe, rapid transportation access
What's the role of technology in ensuring corporate traveler safety?
Technology enables predictive, proactive safety management rather than relying on reactive measures. Digital platforms help organizations remain agile when schedules change or unexpected disruptions occur.
Key benefits include:
- Automated risk alerts tied to destinations
- Digital emergency contacts accessible through mobile apps
- Real-time booking updates
- Data reporting to improve future planning
Can renting cars be part of effective duty of care policies?
Yes, corporate car rental plays a crucial role in duty of care for business travel. Ground transportation is often the most dynamic and unpredictable travel segment. Choosing vetted mobility partners ensures both safety and flexibility when employees travel between meetings, airports, branches, and customer sites. By working with SIXT business, companies strengthen their duty of care policies through several mobility advantages.
Modern, well-maintained fleet
SIXT offers access to new and regularly serviced vehicle categories equipped with the latest safety features, reducing the risk of mechanical disruptions while employees are on the road.
Flexible rental options
Travel schedules change frequently. SIXT business enables:
- Same-day vehicle reservations
- Easy booking modifications
- Local access across major cities
This flexibility reduces stress when itineraries change and helps employees remain compliant with mobility guidelines.
Global coverage and accessibility
With a broad international station network, SIXT supports consistent transportation standards worldwide, ensuring travelers can access dependable vehicles regardless of destination.
Sustainability-focused choices
For companies prioritizing sustainable business travel, SIXT's electric and hybrid vehicle categories support environmental responsibility while maintaining employee comfort and safety.
Integrated corporate booking
Employees can reserve transportation through dedicated corporate profiles with individual corporate rates, improving compliance monitoring and simplifying travel oversight.
Challenges and trends in travel risk management
As business travel trends continue to evolve, duty of care programs must adapt to new working trends, changing traveler expectations and wider company priorities. These shape the way companies design travel policies, select partners and manage the risks associated with business travel.
Growing mid-sized company travel volumes
Hybrid work models and remote teams allow mid-sized companies to operate across dispersed geographical locations, but they often do so without dedicated travel risk management. This puts more emphasis on the need for clearly defined duty of care processes. In this context, centralized booking tools and creating partnerships with travel suppliers are important to support safety and compliance as the organization scales.
Traveler expectations
Employees expect companies to provide:
- Clear safety guidance before and during trips
- Reliable mobility access
- Digital tools that simplify trip management
Meeting these expectations supports duty of care obligations while also improving job satisfaction and retention.
Expanding data use
Travel and mobility data are increasingly being used to strengthen company duty of care policies and their implementation. This includes analyzing their business travel trends, identifying higher-risk destinations and improving response planning in the event of an incident. With this comes the need to ensure data accuracy and transparency, and to comply with privacy regulations.
Sustainability integration
Sustainability goals are increasingly being subsumed into duty of care policies. This includes choosing more environmentally responsible travel options, like EVs. This is aimed at reducing ecological impact while supporting safe business travel and creating forward-looking travel programs. This approach not only improves caring for business travelers. By incorporating traveler well-being, sustainability initiatives and risk management into a single framework, companies also support the broader communities they serve.
Building a safer and compliant business travel program
Business travel duty of care ensures organizations protect what matters most—their people. By combining thoughtful travel policies, modern oversight tools, and trusted partners, companies can reduce risks, respond confidently to disruptions, and strengthen employee trust. An effective program includes:
- Clear safety and travel guidelines
- Centralized trip tracking and communication
- Emergency response protocols
- Reliable transportation partnerships such as SIXT business
For organizations seeking to simplify compliance while supporting their traveling teams, a SIXT business account provides access to centralized mobility solutions, corporate rental discounts, expert consulting, and global station coverage. Start building safer business travel today!
FAQs about business travel duty of care
Duty of care applies whenever an employee travels for business purposes, including trips taken by remote or hybrid workers for meetings, training sessions, or corporate events. Employers must provide the same safety support, emergency protocols, and approved booking channels regardless of an employee's primary work location.
Failure to meet duty of care obligations can expose organizations to legal liability, regulatory fines, reputational harm, and employee claims related to negligence or insufficient safety planning. Demonstrating proactive policies and risk-management measures helps mitigate these potential consequences.
Companies can balance safety and privacy by collecting only essential itinerary and location data, restricting system access to authorized personnel, clearly communicating data usage policies, and complying with regional privacy regulations such as GDPR or state privacy laws. Transparency fosters employee trust while maintaining effective oversight.
Most organizations should review duty of care policies annually—or more frequently if travel volume increases, regulations change, or new risks emerge. Regular updates ensure procedures remain aligned with current business travel patterns, technology capabilities, and evolving safety standards.
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