The latest on ISO 31030 - How are your peers prepared against the new standards?

International SOS’ free self-assessment tool enables organisations to assess and benchmark their travel risk management programme against the ISO 31030 standards.

Based on decades of experience in managing travel risks, the assessment provides high-level recommendations for respondents across 23 questions.

To date (6 September), we received 223 responses across 40 countries from leaders responsible for defining, preparing, and managing their travel risk management plans and policies. 

Below are the initial findings based on their responses to determine how prepared organisations are against ISO 31030. 

Health and Safety Take the Spotlight

Due to the impact COVID-19 has had on global organisations and their people, 75% of respondents have put in place preventative health and safety measures ahead of employees’ domestic and international travels. This indicates an encouraging shift for prioritizing and proactively managing the health, safety and security risks that arise from travel. 

Access to Validated Travel Risk Intelligence

77% of respondents have access to validated and up-to-date analysis on travel risks for the locations their people travel to. With changing security, health and logistical risks associated to travel, the need for accurate, timely and validated location-based intelligence is critical. A centralised source of information that is easily accessible by your workforce will keep them well-informed and confident when traveling.

Identifying Roles and Responsibilities is Key

Only half (54%) of the respondents have clearly identified roles and responsibilities as well as quantifiable objectives for those involved in Travel Risk Management. As the risks associated with travel evolve, so do the roles and responsibilities of who manages organisational Travel Risk Management programmes.

Training and Educating Your Travelers

Less than half (48%) of the respondents said their employees receive regular training on the health and security risks while traveling. Informed and confident travelers equate to less incidents while abroad. Encouraging and proactively communicating with your travelers on the latest risks and pre-travel requirements should be incorporated into your travel risk management plans.

Testing for Effectiveness

Only 43% of respondents test their travel risk management policies, plans and procedures for effectiveness. Travel Risk Management policies are recommended to be reviewed regularly to ensure that they adhere to the holistic ISO 31030 standards. ISO 31030 is critical in navigating the current risk environment. To understand your travel policies and the effectiveness of your procedures, they must be tested. 

Compliant Travelers

Less than half (49%) of respondents have a system in place to ensure their employees are complying with their policies and procedures. A key recommendation from the ISO 31030 standards is to regularly test and review your travel risk management policies. This should be implemented to ensure your travelers are adhering to these policies and procedures. Compliance tracking should also be regularly collated and reported back to management to justify your travel risk management programmes’ effectiveness.

How International SOS Can Help

For over 35 years, International SOS has been at the forefront of supporting organisations' travel risk management plans. We provide expert guidance on ISO31030 because we believe that it is crucial to understand the core components of the standard. 

To ensure your organisation receives the best result out of this ISO standard, our expert team also provides ISO 31030 training.

We can also help you assess the risks impacting your workforce and guide you through to integrating them into your existing travel risk management policies to ensure compliance.