If you have employees who travel abroad in the course of the work that they do for you, then your business must think about the related risks to your business and employees.
What is business travel insurance?
Business travel insurance is travel insurance which is designed specifically for people who are travelling for work, or business related purposes.
It will likely provide some additional cover compared to travel insurance which is designed for individuals who are just going on holiday.
What cover can business travel insurance provide?
Business travel insurance will in many cases extend cover to:
- Business equipment cover – think laptops, work phones and other work-related technology
- Medical cover – cover for emergency medical expenses, personal accident, and personal liability
- Legal support – helping your claim compensation in case of an injury, illness or fatality which occurs on your trip
- Cancellation or curtailment cover
- Repatriation cover
We’ve also written in the past about the extra cover that you can take out should you have employees who drive abroad for work. If you are a haulage company for example, you may have many HGV drivers who regularly travel to Europe. And in these cases, you may also want to think about business travel insurance as your commercial motor policy may not provide cover for all of the risks your drivers may face. A sad case from 2016 which saw a truck driver die from natural causes whilst in Italy highlights this. The company that the driver worked for did not have insurance in place to cover the costs of repatriation of the driver. As a result, the truck was recovered but not the driver.
As always, if you are taking out a business travel insurance policy it will be important to read the full policy wording to understand the cover that you are buying. Or work with an insurance broker who can help you obtain the correct insurance for your needs.
Why do you need this cover if you have employees who travel for work?
Some work-related areas may not be covered under a standard travel insurance policy (such as business equipment) meaning you need to consider a specific business travel insurance policy.
Remember that you have a duty of care to your employees. If you require them to travel abroad during the course of their work then you need to manage the risks to them of doing so. And an integral part of this will be ensuring that they can travel in safety and with confidence that should anything happen, they will be protected.
Areas to consider if you have employees who travel for work
Passports
Brexit has meant some changes to the validity of passports for travel to Europe. And this can impact when you need to renew your passport. Make sure that your employees check the rules for the country that they are travelling to on the gov.uk site in advance of their trip and that their passport will definitely be valid for entry.
You may need to renew your passport if either:
- there’s less than 3 months left on your passport when you travel
- your passport is 10 years old or more the day after you leave the country – count this from the date your passport was issued
There have been recent cases of people being denied travel because their passport issue date was more than 10 years ago or because their passport would be more than 10 years old once the 3-month validity rule is applied.
GHIC cards
The UK Global Health Insurance card (GHIC) replaces the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC was an EU led initiative, so the UK has left this initiative as it is no longer a part of the EU.
The GHIC will enable you to access state healthcare in Europe at reduced cost or for free in some cases. But be mindful that it cannot be used in Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein. And that there are different rules for using the card in Switzerland.
Ensure employees are aware of this change and that they have a valid GHIC before travelling. And remember the GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance.
As a business it is likely that you will require a range of insurance covers. Don’t go it alone – chat to one of our insurance experts today about your business and we can work with you to arrange the insurance you need to protect not only your business but also your employees. You can call our business insurance experts on 020 8290 9080 or email us at business@anthonyjones.com.
