PREDICTING THE Future
Should companies offer additional support to their female and LGBTQ business travellers, and if so, how? Jenny Southan reports
Being able to know in advance if your staff are going to quit might sound like something out of a science fiction movie. But computer giant Hewlett Packard (HP Inc) has been doing it for years. The US multinational has established itself as the leader in Predictive Analysis to keep workers happy and motivated, and reducing its recruitment bill. Since 2011, HP has used big data to assess the ‘Flight Risk’ of each one of its 300,000 global staff. Algorithms look at a range of factors – including promotion and pay rise history, feedback from employee surveys and performance stats – to come up with a score representing how likely each individual is to leave in search of a new job. Results are used by managers to work out how best to reward employees and create an environment where staff feel valued. HP estimates the system saves it up to $300million each year by cutting recruitment costs and preventing low productivity.
As a female business traveller in a same-sex relationship, there have been times when I have had to think carefully about the trips I take. But there haven’t been any destinations that I have decided not to go to for work.
I have travelled around Nairobi alone (a city known for high levels of violent crime), and been to countries such as Iran, where being gay is punishable by death. In both cases, I did a lot of due diligence, stayed in good hotels, had a driver, dressed appropriately, made my Instagram account private and kept quiet about my personal life. Luckily, I had no problems, but not everyone would be confident about taking these kinds of assignments on – and rightly so.
Within a corporate environment, there can be a perceived obligation to travel for work, meaning some female or LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) employees might not feel comfortable to say they are unwilling to go to certain places or need additional support, especially if they are not “out” about their sexual orientation. As companies have duty of care responsibilities towards the people they send into the field, there need to be policies in place that protect and uphold the unique rights and wellbeing of all individuals, as well as sensitivity and flexibility around how they are applied.
Catherine Maguire-vielle, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, says: “Travelling for business means people often don’t have a choice where they go. If they don’t feel comfortable, don’t feel supported or don’t feel prepared, and there’s someone more suitable, then they should question why they need to go. Companies should never be putting their employees in situations that haven’t been properly risk assessed.”
Just as some firms have special travel needs for employees – oil and gas businesses, for example – Maguire-vielle says TMCS should work to develop female-centric policies for clients where appropriate.
According to Trip.com by Skyscanner, the riskiest countries for solo female travellers in 2017 included Guatemala, Turkey, India, Morocco and Egypt, while the Foreign and Commonwealth Office listed Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, South Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen (among others) as generally unsafe for all travellers.
Putting women first While there are some countries that every potential visitor should be wary about going to, there are destinations that pose greater risks to women in particular because of the heightened chance of sexual harassment.
Like it or not, women are seen as vulnerable targets that can be taken advantage of so it’s
Some female or LGBTQ employees might not feel comfortable to say they are unwilling to go to certain places”
important they are equipped to deal with this before touching down.
Maguire-vielle says: “Stepping into cultures where women don’t have the same rights or respect as they do at home can be difficult. We are seeing an increase in companies putting questions in their requests for proposals (RFPS) asking the travel management company what they do to safeguard females. The clients want it and TMCS are now thinking about it. TMCS now realise they must consider the genderspecific needs of their travellers.”
Carolyn Pearson, CEO of Maiden Voyage, a network for female business travellers, says: “While we have a predominantly egalitarian society here in Western Europe, the world at large isn't equal. The key areas that we help the industry focus on are: legal restrictions around the world – for example, reporting a sexual assault in the UAE can put the woman at risk of arrest; cultural restrictions – initiating a handshake or even eye contact could mean the woman is perceived as promiscuous; the risk of sexual harassment; handbag theft; and specific health risks – even access to sanitary protection and contraception is limited in some countries.”
Pearson adds: “There are plenty of welltravelled women out there, myself included, who are more than happy to travel to edgy destinations and take a risk when travelling on holiday. However, we have to accept that employers have a legal obligation to protect us when we are travelling for business and therefore some provisions put in place could feel restrictive.”
For a firm not to send women to a certain destination point blank might be considered too crude, though, and even discriminatory.
People need to be empowered to make the best decisions for themselves as professionals, as well as within the organisation in which they work. Pearson says: “Company cultures vary massively and some are much more open to women voicing concerns about travel to a certain destination than others and, sadly, some do think less of employees who don't want to travel.
“Conversely we also see employers refusing to send women to certain destination because they are deemed too risky even though the women are happy to make the trip.”
What can TMCS do to help? “Easy wins would include arranging the trip end-to-end with connections, and having that info on your app, so you are never having to stand outside and flag a cab. Traveller tracking is really important too, so someone at your company always knows your itinerary if incidents do arise,” says Maguire-vielle.
“Our partnership with International SOS is really important and our CWT To Go app has a direct contact for those travellers requiring medical assistance. These sorts of features are increasingly important for a policy.”