Risky business: New research reveals the need for corporate travel health policies

Risky business: New research reveals the need for corporate travel health policies
By Daisy Melwani


New research has revealed many employees who travel internationally for business are not offered any form of pre-travel health advice or information on necessary vaccinations.

With 850,000 business travellers (almost 2,000 every day) heading overseas for business each year[i], new research about what information to give travel and business clients when it comes to protecting employees’ health while travelling overseas for work.

New research[ii]  has revealed that most organisations are exposing themselves to potential liability by not providing travel health protection for their employees going to at-risk destinations like South-East Asia and China where there is a known risk of contracting infectious diseases.

  • 20% of employees were not sure about whether their company even had a policy
  • Over a third (36%) of companies did not provide guidelines on recommended vaccinations prior to international travel
  • 40% organisations didn’t have any corporate travel health policy for international travel in place
  • 84% employees consider a corporate travel health policy as an expected part of employment, rather than an employee benefit

Dr Deborah Mills, also known as The Travel Doctor says “It doesn’t matter if you’re staying at a 5-star hotel, or if the trip is only short. There is still potential risk of falling sick from contaminated food or water, or other sources of infectious diseases,”[iii]

Employers have an important role to play in protecting business travellers’ health and wellbeing. Current workplace health and safety legislation dictates that Australian companies are accountable for business travellers’ health and safety under workplace health and safety legislation.[iv]

[i] ABS Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, Jun 2016 http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/products/961B6B53B87C130ACA2574030010BD05
[ii] Survey developed by Sanofi Pasteur and conducted by HR Daily, June 2016, completed by 108 HR Managers and business travellers.
[iii] Australian Department of Health. Travel Health Information http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/health-pubhlth-strateg-quaranti-index.htm
[iv] Australian Government, Business – travelling safely for work https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/travel/travelling-safely-for-work

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