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There is little in the way of sense following the awful attacks that hit Paris last week. The sad truth is business and organization leaders are forced to answer time and again how they might react when tragedies like the one that occurred in France take place.
Business Travel Coalition, an organization dedicated to "interpret industry and government policies and practices," launched a survey that culled "Eighty-four (84) corporate, university and government travel, sourcing and risk managers from seventeen (17) countries," asking how each might respond to similar harrowing scenarios and how it might affect travel policy.
What followed provides a glimpse into how companies and organizations are reacting to truly awful circumstances.
You can take a look at the survey via Survey Monkey. Respondents were asked to rank their reactions to certain statements such as "My company will cancel travel to France for some period of time."
The results were made available via press release and shed light on an overarching sentiment among business travel leaders.
Some of the more intriguing results include: "70 percent are very or somewhat likely to allow employees discretion with regard to travel to France; 55 percent are very or somewhat likely to allow employees discretion with regard to travel to/within Europe; 20 percent of survey participants are very or somewhat likely to cancel travel to France for some period of time; 20 percent are somewhat likely to cancel travel to to/within Europe for some period of time."
A summary from the release follows:
• 20 percent of survey participants are very or somewhat likely to cancel travel to France for some period of time.
• 20 percent are somewhat likely to cancel travel to to/within Europe for some period of time.
• 70 percent are very or somewhat likely to allow employees discretion with regard to travel to France
• 55 percent are very or somewhat likely to allow employees discretion with regard to travel to/within Europe.
• 16 percent are very or somewhat likely to cancel travel to France until the investigation determines if the attack is just one of many in the planning stages
• 5 percent are very or somewhat likely to cancel travel to/within Europe until the investigation determines if the attack is just one of many more in the planning stages.
• 30 percent are very or somewhat likely to cancel travel to France if the attack is just one of many more in the planning stages until strategic modifications to travel policy are considered.
• 35 percent are very or somewhat likely to cancel travel to/within Europe if the attack is just one of many more in the planning stages until strategic modifications to travel policy are considered.
• 55 percent indicate their company's Duty-of-Care policy will drive any modification to travel policy.
As the release states, the overwhelming response to such tragedy is to allow the employee to make his or her own decision on travel to any respective region undergoing such astounding circumstances: "Not surprisingly the vast majority of companies/organizations are likely to provide their employees personal discretion regarding travel to France and to and within Europe - 70 percent and 55 percent respectively."
However, as BTC infers, it's best to be pragmatic at these trying times, because each tragedy offers its own set of unforetold scenarios.
Via the press release: "Importantly, the results are prospective in the sense that any travel policy changes, for most organizations, have not yet been decided upon, but rather, are under consideration in real time. As the French government investigation proceeds, and facts change, e.g., discovery of additional imminent attacks, or actual attacks, organizational responses regarding travel policy could change significantly."
As the survey found, the majority of respondents remain undeterred in conducting business in the region.
When posed: "My company will cancel to travel to/within Europe for some period of time," 60 percent proclaimed that fact was very unlikely.
And as TravelPulse's Michael Isenbek noted, Paris itself will reopen its attractions on Monday.
It's impossible to know how to react amid such devastation. The preceding survey is but a guide for your company or organization to make its own decision.
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