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Industry News

 

CAP Index Says Companies Lack Concern for Safety of Traveling Employees

Tuesday September 16, 2008

 

Exton, Pa.
Most companies do a good job of protecting employees when they are working in the corporate office, but fail to consider the unique crime risks that face workers when they are on the road for their employer, according to CAP Index Inc., a leader in crime vulnerability and loss prevention analytics.

“Many companies operate with a feudal mentality,” said Jon Groussman, president and chief operating officer of CAP Index. “They do a great job of protecting their employees when they’re ‘inside the castle’ — think how difficult it is to get past a security guard or receptionist for a business appointment in a typical office building — but they neglect to think about their employees’ safety when they ‘leave the fortress and cross over the moat.

“Employees may actually be most at risk for crime when they leave company premises for business travel or a business appointment.”

Groussman said the most common types of incidents victims reported while traveling on business were personal crimes, such as assault and robbery.

One common failing of companies is to base hotel and travel decisions exclusively on price, rather than factoring in safety, he said.

“Too often, the procurement process that leads to long-term contracts is entirely price-based,” he said. “A savvy procurement officer at a company that puts its employees first would evaluate safety features.”

Another disturbing trend, Groussman observed, is the concern employers exhibit over the security of company-issued mobile devices — and the proprietary data they contain — rather than focusing on the safety of the employee carrying them.

Groussman said companies can take simple steps to increase the safety of their employees traveling on the company’s behalf:

• Assess the risk.
• Research a vendor’s services.
• Provide a source of risk management.
• Make safety part of the company culture.

For more info: http://www.capindex.com