Travel Glossary · Corporate Travel
Duty of Care
Definition
Duty of Care: Duty of care is an employer’s responsibility to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and security of employees while they travel for work.
In practice, duty of care means knowing where your travelers are, preparing them for the risks of their destination, and being able to reach and help them when plans change. It covers everything from a canceled connection to a medical emergency, a natural disaster, or civil unrest. Specific legal obligations vary by country and state, so companies should confirm theirs with counsel.
The building blocks are straightforward: book through a managed channel so itineraries are captured, review State Department travel advisories before trips, enroll international travelers in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), confirm medical and evacuation coverage, and keep emergency contacts current. Bookings made outside the program, often called leakage, create blind spots.
An advisor supports duty of care by holding every itinerary in one place and rebooking travelers quickly during disruptions. Empyrean also helps clients write these rules into their travel policy, including how personal days on bleisure trips are handled.
Go deeper
- Corporate TravelDuty of Care for Business TravelersDuty of care for business travel explained: how employers keep traveling staff informed, located and supported, and how a travel advisor makes it practical.
- Travel GuidesSmart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP): What It Is and How to EnrollSTEP is the State Department’s free program that sends U.S. travelers embassy alerts and helps them reach you in an emergency. What it does and how to enroll.
- Travel GuidesTravel Safety Tips: How to Stay Safe AbroadPractical travel safety tips for international trips: preparing, arriving, hotels, money, phones and Wi-Fi, scams and what to do if your passport is stolen.
- Corporate TravelInternational Business Travel ManagementInternational business travel planned end to end: long-haul flights, entry rules, visas, jet lag strategy and pre-trip briefings from a Los Angeles advisor.
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