The Percentage of Women Traveling for Business Is Rising

More than half of corporate travel buyers say they have a higher percentage of females in their traveling populations than just three to five years ago, yet nearly 70% agree that female business travelers today face higher travel safety risks.

Research done by the Global Business Travel Association in cooperation with WWStay reveals a fast-developing irony: Awareness of the risks faced by female travelers in general and female business travelers, in particular, has never been higher, but only 18% of corporate travel policies specifically address matters related to the safety needs of female business travelers.

GBTA is the world’s largest association of buyers, managers and service providers involved in the $1.4 trillion-a-year global business travel market. It’s more than 9,000 members collectively book more than $345 billion in business travel and corporate meeting services annually. WWStay operates an online platform for booking extended stay accommodations for business travelers.

“As an industry, we need to do more to ensure the safety of our female road warriors, especially as women make up an ever-increasing amount of our business traveler population,” said GBTA President Christle Johnson.

The researchers learned that 61% of corporate travel buyers believe that it is important to consider female safety issues when selecting lodging for their travelers. However, only 44% have arrangements in place that allow them to recommend female-friendly lodging options.

Just 31% of companies say they are more specifically focused today on ensuring a safe workplace for their female employees in light of recent news events related to physical and/or sexual abuse of women. And only 21% of business travel program managers said those same news events have spurred their companies into re-evaluating their travel programs with an eye toward providing greater security and safety for their female travelers.

Two of the biggest concerns that female business travelers tend to have are the location and the type of their travel lodging. The GBTA recommends generally that female travelers be booked into rooms on the third or higher floors of hotels to which there is very limited access from the outside, and only in hotel properties with 24-hour onsite security. The group also recommends booking only hotel rooms with double locks for both female and male business travelers. Those suggestions apply both to domestic and foreign hotel bookings.

The GBTA also recommends that companies consider providing female business travelers- at the very least, and all business travelers, ideally - registered chauffeured ground transportation, especially in foreign markets as an added layer of security risk reduction. However, the GBTA/WWStay research showed than 61% of companies’ travel programs rarely or never provide such services to female travelers.

Business travel buyers – be they company employees or contracted through a business travel-focused travel agency – typically are focused on controlling costs and enforcing corporate travel policies. But over the last three decades they also have become more aware of their responsibility (and that of their corporate clients) for the wellbeing of corporate travelers while they’re on the road.

So-called “duty of care” responsibilities range from being able to direct corporate travelers to quality healthcare services wherever they might be in the world to providing for the quick, safe return of any employee who happens to be in a location where widespread violence or other dangerous events erupt unexpectedly. Increasingly, business travel managers also are recognizing the more prevalent or even unique safety threats faced by women business travelers.

The GBTA/WWStar research showed that 57 percent of business travel buyers say they have a very good ability to communicate with travelers at all times, rating their ability 8 or higher on a 10-point scale. Travel buyers also indicate that about 66 percent of all corporate travel programs offer safety/security resources via third-parties, such as travel security and travel healthcare consulting firms. Still, 18% of business travel buyers say their company does not offer an assistance hotline, which is seen as critical resource for female business travelers.

 

by Dan Reed

Forbes 

 

 

4 vital tips for hiring corporate chauffeurs services

Let’s face it – corporate chauffeurs are clearly not for everyone and anyone. After all, this is a luxurious service that you’re talking about. The employees of an MNC sent to a different country for meetings and the like, are the people who are most likely to use the service. Be it the case of corporate cars or any other type of car for that matter.

After all, the onus is on you to ensure that your employees are well taken care of in the best possible way, when it comes to travelling abroad for business. Since most corporate chauffeurs are reliable, it is best if you rely on them. However, you also need to do your homework and see which of the services are best suited to you and your team of employees.

This is where you need to pay careful attention to certain specific details. After all, none of the chauffeur services are alike in that sense. It is up to you to pick the distinguished and trustworthy companies that are best suited for the job. Here are a few vital tips as to how you can go about this process :-

Basic experience: Now this aspect pretty much goes without saying in this regard. After all, no other aspect makes the best corporate chauffeur. Not only do they happen to have the best knowledge of shorter roots, but there is also the case of them ensuring an amazingly good customer service at every ride as well. As long as you do your homework thoroughly, you will know these services the moment you see them.

Clientele served in the past: A proper listing of current and former clients served is pretty much the biggest hallmark of an exceptionally good service. Another important point to keep in mind is the sheer variety of clients across the board, from business people, to government officials and even tourists. This is the way to go for most chauffeur services rather than providing the service for a specific set of people.

Corporate responsibility: What can be better than hiring the very chauffeur services that happen to have special packages for corporate clients? And if the special corporate rates weren’t enough, these services also happen to have a special insight and understanding of the demands of the corporate world as a whole.

Hence, you can be sure that these services will accommodate even the most last minute requests, due to a large fleet of both cars and experienced drivers.

Flexibility: Sure, corporations need to provide basic transportation services for all of their employees working abroad, but it is clear that a mere taxi service will not do. However, in the case of the best chauffeur driven services, you can be sure they will be flexible at all times as per your preference and convenience.

Just remember – once you have a basic idea about all the reputable and trustworthy services, it will automatically become much easier for you to send you employees out of station for any work. As long as you keep the above points in mind at all times, there is really no reason for you to worry about outstation work trips turning into a nightmare for any of your employees.

As long as you retain all of the reputable services that you know of, in cities all across the world, the services will certainly be at your beck and call at all times. No two ways about that, really. The twin aspects of repute and trust play a big role in this particular regard.

Source: http://www.eglobaltravelmedia.com.au/4-vital-tips-for-hiring-corporate-chauffeurs-services/