05 Apr Managing Travel Protocol of Senior Executives and Assignees
It’s a situation that can give a global mobility specialist a panic attack. There’s an outbreak of epidemic in one of your allied countries, or flights have been grounded in one of its cities because of a terrorist attack. You learn that one of the esteemed members in your country is trapped in that area and cannot fly home immediately. And although he left without your knowledge and/or agreement, you can’t take him to task. Because he is one of your senior executives who have the power and privilege to jaunt off to the other side of the world without giving you advanced notice. He could have emailed you about it on his way to the airport. He could also have instructed his assistant to let you know. But in a sense the damage has been done, and now you have to find a way to trace him and help bring him back.
Chances are you will, because your executives know how to protect themselves during crisis situations. He might even be the first to call you to your relief.
To avoid this situation in the future and keep yourself on the same page of your travelling executives, do the following:
Enroll him in a VIP program
Davidson Morris says that making your executive part of a trusted traveler VIP program of your allied countries can get him in and out of borders. This is particularly helpful if your executive is an assignee whose job requires him to visit other countries regularly. His membership in such a program also guarantees him a certain amount of protection. It also provides your team to contact and make inquiries about the executive in case a crisis does happen.
Make it part of protocol
Make it as part of your protocol that any action that can have an effect on your candidate’s health should be brought to your awareness. Statistics show that in this area, caution is on your side. According to International SOS, 71 percent of senior executives had experienced medical emergencies while on an overseas trip. One out of three international business trips are also made to countries with a higher medical risk than the executive’s country of origin.
Impress these facts upon your assignee or executive as an incentive for him to let you know of his next travel plans. Make sure his assistant goes along with the playbook. One of these days, the rush of work might make him forget to tell you, but his assistant would be duty-bound to do the same.
Network for emergency purposes
Medical matters in travel would also require that you keep your eyes on his next terrain. To protect his health might mean networking with hospitals, embassies, and helpful institutions that take care of housing like California Corporate Housing.
Get good side of upper management
Get all of upper management on your side by aligning travel assignments with your allotted budget. Nobody wants to be mother-henned or watched with oversight, especially leaders who had been earned the position because of their independence and resilience. One way to get all of them on your side is to show how unplanned travel jaunts can affect your bottom line.
Not informing you of their trip in advance — or right that minute, if it happens to be an emergency — can place a dent on the budget. This has nothing to do with their perks but everything to do with watching the company’s fiscal health.
This International Business Times report should give them pause: one senior executive’s unplanned travel can cost the company $7,500 per trip. That monies account for time wasted waiting in an airport lobby and fixing their itinerary. The higher the salary of the executive, the greater loss of revenue his idle time will cost the company.