Duty of care is a company’s legal and moral responsibility to protect its employees’ health, safety, and well-being, including when they travel for work.
What Is Duty of Care?
Duty of care is an organization’s obligation to take reasonable steps to keep its employees safe while they work, including when they travel on business.
This matters because when employees travel, the company still has a responsibility for their safety. If something goes wrong and the company did not take basic precautions, there can be legal consequences, reputational damage, and serious human harm. For example, if you send someone to a high-risk location with no information, no tracking, and no support plan, you are failing in your duty of care.
In business travel and expense management, duty of care is the foundation for how you approve trips, choose suppliers, centralize bookings, track travelers, and respond to emergencies. Platforms like Navan help by giving you granular, real-time visibility into where your travelers are, what risks they face, and how to reach them quickly.
Understanding the risks in destinations (health, crime, weather, and political unrest)
Assessing specific trip risks (solo travel, late arrivals, and high-risk activities)
Policies and Guidelines
Clear rules about where and how people can travel
Approvals for higher-risk trips or destinations
Guidance on behavior, local laws, and emergency contacts
Preparation and Communication
Pre-trip briefings and alerts
Access to travel documents, insurance, and support information
Training on personal safety and cultural norms
Monitoring and Tracking
Knowing who is traveling, where they are, and how to contact them
Real-time alerts on incidents that may affect travelers
Response and Support
Processes to help travelers in emergencies, like medical situations, security issues, natural disasters, and major delays
Coordination with internal teams and external partners, like insurers and security providers
Who Owns Duty of Care?
Department
Duty
Executive Leadership
Sets the tone and the budget
HR and People Teams
Focus on employee safety and well-being
Legal and Compliance
Ensure that laws and regulations are met
Security/Risk Management
Handle risk assessments and emergency response
Travel Managers/Admins
Design travel policies and tools that support duty of care
Managers and Travelers
Follow policies and use the approved systems
Navan and similar platforms provide the technology layer that ties these roles together in real time.
Duty of Care vs. Travel Risk Management
Duty of Care
Travel Risk Management
The obligation
The system and processes you put in place to meet that obligation
The biggest impact of duty of care is on protecting people and reducing risk while still supporting business travel. Travel risk management tools, traveler tracking, and incident alerts are how you live up to your duty-of-care promise.
Why Duty of Care Matters
Companies that take duty of care seriously typically see:
Reduced Legal and Financial Risk
There will be fewer situations where employees can claim the company was negligent and lower chances of fines, lawsuits, or insurance complications.
Stronger Employee Trust and Retention
Employees are more willing to travel when they feel protected and supported. Good duty of care is a visible sign that the company cares about its people, not just numbers.
Better Operational Resilience
When crises hit, like weather events, strikes, political unrest, or pandemics, you can locate travelers quickly and respond in an organized way.
An Improved Reputation
A well-managed response to incidents can build trust with employees, clients, and the public.
Concrete benefits include:
Faster, more coordinated responses when something goes wrong
Fewer “Where are our people?” moments during emergencies
A higher willingness to travel among key staff when it is needed
How Duty of Care Works in Practice
1. Before the Trip
Risk assessment and policy checks: Determine if the destination has any special risks and decide whether extra approvals are needed.
Booking through approved channels: Require employees and designated bookers to use a central tool like Navan. This ensures every trip is visible and is linked to a traveler profile.
Pre-trip information and training: Share guidance on local conditions and health requirements, safe transport and safe areas to stay, and emergency numbers and company contacts.
Insurance and assistance setup: Confirm that travelers are covered by the appropriate business travel insurance and provide access to medical and security assistance services.
2. During the Trip
Traveler tracking and visibility: Using a platform like Navan, you can see who is currently traveling and where, their itineraries by city and time, and which employees are in or near an incident zone.
Real-time alerts: Travelers can receive alerts about flight disruptions, severe weather, and security incidents in their area. Travel managers or security teams can receive dashboards or emails that highlight affected travelers.
Support and escalation: Travelers can contact expert travel agents via in-app chat or by phone for rebooking, hotel changes, or help in getting out of unsafe areas. Security or HR can coordinate with external partners for medical evacuations, local support and transport, and embassy contacts where they are needed.
3. After the Trip
Incident review: If something went wrong, review what happened, how you responded, and what to improve. Update the risk ratings for any destinations and suppliers.
Policy and training updates: Adjust your travel policy and guidance based on any lessons that were learned. Add or refine your pre-trip training for certain regions or situations.
Reporting and documentation: Keep records of which travelers were in which locations and any communications and actions that were taken during incidents. This is important for legal, compliance, and insurance purposes.
Common Challenges in Executing Duty of Care and Their Solutions
Challenge 1: No Centralized View of Traveler Locations
When bookings are scattered across many sites, it can be hard to know where people are.
Solution: Require all business travel to be booked through an approved platform or a TMC. Use a tool like Navan that combines booking data, trip changes, and real-time statuses in one place.
Challenge 2: Unclear Roles and Responsibilities
No one is sure who should act in an emergency.
Solution: Create a written travel risk management plan that defines who will monitor alerts, who will contact travelers, and who will make decisions about evacuations or cancellations. Review it at least annually with your HR, legal, and security teams.
Challenge 3: Travelers Ignore the Policy and Book “Off-Platform”
This reduces visibility and control.
Solution: Make the official tool easier and better than consumer sites with its content, UX, and mobile app. Tie your policy and reimbursement rules to using the approved channels. Explain that booking outside the system makes it harder to help them in an emergency.
Challenge 4: Overly or Underly Restrictive Travel Rules
If your rules are too strict, business can stall and people may circumvent them. If they are too loose, there can be unnecessary risk.
Solution: Use a risk-based approach, with a standard process for low-risk destinations and extra approvals and checks for medium- and high-risk destinations. Update your risk levels regularly with reliable sources and partners.
Challenge 5: Poor Communication During Crises
Mixed messages or no messages can erode trust.
Solution: Define templates and channels in advance (email, SMS, and in-app). Use your travel platform’s messaging features to contact affected travelers quickly. Follow up after incidents to close the loop.
Duty of Care vs. Related Concepts
Aspect
Duty of Care
Travel Risk Management
Health and Safety Policy
What It Is
The obligation to keep employees safe
The system and processes to manage travel risks
Broader workplace safety rules and procedures
Scope
A moral and a legal responsibility
Risk assessment, tracking, and response
All work environments, not just travel
Focus
The outcome (protect people and avoid negligence)
The operational steps (assess, monitor, and respond)
Compliance with safety regulations at work
Think of duty of care as the why, travel risk management as the how, and your health and safety policy as the wider framework.
Related Terms and Concepts
Travel risk management (TRM): The structured approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating travel-related risks. TRM is how you operationalize your duty of care.
Traveler tracking: The tools and processes to see where employees are or are scheduled to be, based on their itineraries and check-ins.
Crisis management: The broader company plan for handling serious incidents. Duty of care is a key driver of how travel-related crises are managed.
Travel policy: The rules around where and how employees may travel, how their trips are approved, and what is allowed. It is a major tool for enforcing your duty of care.
High-risk destination: A location with an elevated risk due to political instability, high crime, or severe health risks. These often require enhanced approvals and extra precautions.
Travel insurance and assistance: The coverage and services, such as medical, evacuation, and security, that can support travelers when things go wrong.
Duty of loyalty: A related legal concept that covers employees’ responsibility to follow reasonable safety guidelines and company policy, which complements the employer’s duty of care.
FAQ
Duty of care refers to the legal and ethical obligation of companies to keep their employees safe while they are traveling for work purposes.
Ensuring employee safety during travel not only fulfills legal obligations but also supports employee satisfaction, retention, and overall productivity.
Companies can review their travel policies, consult with legal and HR professionals, and conduct safety audits of their travel management procedures.
An effective strategy typically includes pre-trip advisories, 24/7 emergency support, travel insurance, and regular updates on safety protocols.
Effective communication ensures that travelers are aware of potential risks, informed about safety practices, and can report emergencies or issues promptly.
Technology like mobile travel apps and global tracking systems can enhance safety by providing real-time updates, location tracking, and quick access to assistance.
Training programs on travel safety, cultural awareness, and risk mitigation are essential to prepare employees for travel-related challenges.
Typically, responsibility lies with the travel managers, HR departments, or any designated safety officers within the company.
Changes in global situations, like political unrest or pandemics, require companies to continuously update their travel policies and safety measures to adapt to new risks.
Neglecting duty of care can lead to legal repercussions, including lawsuits, fines, and damage to the company's reputation, affecting employee morale and public trust.
Expense management should support duty of care by covering necessary costs for safety measures, such as appropriate accommodation, transportation, and insurance.
While companies are responsible for providing guidance and resources, employees also have a duty to adhere to the safety practices set out by their employers.