Quick tips to achieving Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity in your corporate travel programme
As organisations continue to invest in an inclusive and diverse workforce, it’s important to reflect this in your ravel porogramme, ensuring your policy includes DE&I best practices.
Diversity includes race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, and mental and physical disabilities. All of these must be taken into careful consideration when devising your travel programme. But a successful policy is also about meeting an employee’s unique needs and preferences, including dealing with potential risks or challenges they face at work or on business trips.
If you’re just starting out on incorporating inclusivity in your corporate travel policy, then this blog is for you! Let’s get you started with our six super quick tips on what to consider when building an inclusive travel programme.
#1
Understand and listen to your travellers
Dig deep into specifics related to gender, health and disability, age or sexual orientation. Collect anonymous data to understand employee experiences. This will enable you to fully understand your travellers.
#2
Engage with Human Resources
Involve HR teams to find out what employees are saying about DE&I. Take their advice on how to implement any feedback. HR can also advise you on how to approach difficult conversations with your employees, with empathy and sensitivity.
#3
Provide pre-travel safety training
Travel safety training should include local laws of the destination that your employees are travelling to and the risks and solutions. For example, risks and solutions for your LGBTQ travellers or for woman travelling solo on business trips.
Check out our essential tips to help solo female travellers stay safe, comfortable, and confident while away on a business trip – click HERE.
#4
Communication is key
Be sure to find ways to engage and communicate all the safety and need to know information with your travellers, through a wide range of resources that is easily accessible for them.
#5
Travelling with a disability
Disabilities can affect business travel and your policy should be changed to ensure comfort and safety.
You can deep dive further into this topic with our recent article on travelling with a disability – click HERE.
#6
Use a Travel Management Company
Several TMCs have invested a lot in DE&I travel policies and can support you with creating yours. They can also help to select and work with suppliers that embrace inclusivity.
Your First Steps
DE&I is a fundamental topic for all organisations. It requires careful research and understanding. These super quick-tips will get you started on the journey to acheiving a fully inclusive travel programme. Safe travels!
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