English
Female business travel is your employer keeping you safe abroad
London
• Women now make up approximately 45% of the corporate travel market
• Employers are failing in their responsibility to highlight and prepare for gender-specific travel issues
• International SOS identifies the top issues women face when travelling, and provides advice
19 July 2012: International SOS, the world’s leading medical and security services company, highlights the need for gender-specific, pre-travel training for female business travellers. Today, women hold one in five senior management positions globally*[1], and make up 45% of the corporate travel market, meaning that there are more women travelling for business than ever before.
Despite an increasing number of women business travellers, organisations still have a long way to go when it comes to providing the right travel safety advice to female employees. Areas of particular concern for women abroad include; sexual and opportunistic crime threads, managing cultural sensitivities and understanding local health systems and risks.
A recent International SOS survey of attendees to its pre-travel training for women in business found that 85% of respondents felt that their organisation should be more prepared to address the specific travel needs of women.**[2]
International SOS has seen a 20 percent increase from 2011 in the number of women travellers calling its Assistance Centres for medical and travel security advice, with 751 women calling in the last two months, and 400 in June alone.
Dr Edelyn Brawidjojo, Senior Coordinating Doctor, Northern Europe, International SOS Comments: “Companies have a tendency to ignore the fact that women may experience additional threats to those faced by their male counterparts when travelling on business. Prevention is far better than cure, and the rise in the number of women needing our assistance shows that employers have a real Duty of Care to better prepare their female workers for business trips. This is why we provide tailored advice and training modules, working with companies to keep their female travellers safe.”
~Ends~
Notes to Editors
About the International SOS Group of Companies The International SOS Group of Companies is in the business of saving lives, protecting your global workforce from health and security threats. Wherever you are, we deliver customised health, security risk management and wellbeing solutions to fuel your growth and productivity. In the event of extreme weather, an epidemic or a security incident, we provide an immediate response providing peace of mind. Our innovative technology and medical and security expertise focus on prevention, offering real-time, actionable insights and on-the-ground quality delivery. We help protect your people, your organisation's reputation, as well as support your compliance reporting needs. By partnering with us, organisations can fulfil their Duty of Care responsibilities, while empowering business resilience, continuity and sustainability. Founded in 1985, the International SOS Group, headquartered in London & Singapore, is trusted by 12,000 organisations, including the majority of the Fortune 500, as well as mid-size enterprises, governments, educational institutions and NGOs. 12,000 multicultural medical, security and logistics experts stand with you to provide support & assistance from over 1,000 locations in 90 countries, 24/7, 365 days.
To protect your workforce, we are at your fingertips: www.internationalsos.com
[1] *http://www.grantthornton.co.nz/Assets/
documents/pubSeminars/IBR-2012-women-in-senior-management.pdf
[2] **The poll was based on 120 respondents representing international organisations based in the Asia Pacific region, who attended a webinar on female travel tips organized by International SOS.
