TRAVEL RISK MANAGEMENT

The psychology of accepting a crisis situation

Peter Morton
pmorton@mortonsecure.com

WHAT IS TRM
There are inherent risks associated with international travel that are often overlooked when organizations conduct business risk management and strategic planning. Due to a lack of communication and lack of knowledge on the subject, relevant departments often gloss over or omit policies regarding travel safety or Travel Risk Management (TRM). Overlooking international travel and the threats associated with it could result in a loss of time, money, reputation, personnel or in extreme cases, loss of life. Some of the factors to consider when determining if your organization should implement a TRM policy are; Employees are far more likely to be involved in a vehicular accident traveling to, from or during work, then from an incident on the job site. An employers Duty of Care extends beyond the physical location of their business and requires planning for the health, safety and security of their employees while they travel. The costs associated with replacing an employee(s) due to a crisis event, outweigh the cost of implementing new policies and processes. The damage a crisis incident could have on an organization's reputation cannot be easily repaired. Implementing a TRM policy sends a message to potential partners, employees and investors that the organization cares about resiliency and their personnel.

It is also important to consider the future and what potential incidents an organizations personnel may face. Unfortunately, as economies around the world suffer, criminal activity, mental stress and significant crisis incidents increase. If an organization is not conducting predictive analysis or considering future events, they are just waiting for that one crisis, which could totally destroy a lifetime of achievement. There are numerous avenues that organizations can take to deal with the potential threats travelers face. Far too often the option approved is to leave things the way they are and deal with the issues as they arise. Although the organization could get extremely lucky and never find themselves in the middle of an international crisis event, the reality is that they will eventually have to deal with something (auto accident, death of an employee, detention, kidnapping, etc.), and it only takes one incident to cause irreparable damage.

WHY DO YOU NEED IT

According to an article written by (1) David Jonas of Business Travel News, 61 percent of 133 corporate travel buyers in North America and Europe polled in June and July 2012 said their organizations issue pre-trip advisories for highrisk areas. That was up from 41 percent in a similar 2011 survey. Although the increase of interest in secure travel is good, there are still approximately 39 percent of organizations that dont do anything to mitigate the risks associated with international travel. So the question is, why do organizations spend millions of dollars to make a factory floor safe, when their employees are more likely to be involved in a catastrophic incident traveling to, from or during work? There is an answer, and it has to do with the way our brains process

1. Source: David Jonas Survey: Travel Risk Management Practices Becoming More Prevalent

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potential threats, danger and anything that mentally overwhelms us. In America, people have grown accustomed to life in relative security.(2) Security defined is the state of being protected or safe from harm and is a combination of physical, economic, cultural and emotional factors. It often has very little to do with how people commonly view security. Most Americans will associate Law Enforcement, Security Guards and Military Forces with security, not realizing that security is so much more than just Physical Security. The sense of security that people feel from day to day involves all of the factors listed above. According to the model depicted in (3) Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (figure 1), American society has been able to achieve and maintain the highest level of overall security, called selfactualization. This means people have the ability to consider things like, morality, creativity, spontaneity, purpose and potential in their lives. Many countries around the world do not have this luxury and very few have achieved and maintained it throughout history.

You will find that most third world countries worry about their security, in one form or another, on a day to day basis. Because they worry about their security all the time, they do not have time to consider the upper levels of Maslows Hierarchy. They live near the bottom two sections of the pyramid and rarely go any higher. There is a stark contrast between the security situations in Somalia versus the United States of America. So if Americans live in such a secure society, why should they be worried about security? Obviously the government is doing everything they can in order to keep things secure, but are they doing it effectively? The answer is that most people rely on a false sense of security, and that is how they have been able to reach those upper levels of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Many Americans trust the perception of security rather than actual security, and anything that might cast a negative shadow on that perception is pushed aside, and dumb luck rules. An example of how people ignore the risk associated with certain activities could best be explained through (4) automobile accident statistics. Millions of people are killed around the world every year in automobile crashes (90 percent in impoverished countries). Of course there are victims of auto accidents that die through no fault of their own, but many also exhibit reckless behavior such as texting while driving or refusing to wear a safety belt. The statistics are available to anyone with a computer or phone so why do people choose to ignore the facts and continue to drive recklessly? People do not like to think about bad things happening to them. They like to feel that they are in control of their life, regardless of reality or statistics. This is one of the reasons that people panic and freeze in a crisis situation. They think they have things under control, until

Figure 1

2. Source: Merriam Webster Online 3. Source: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs 4. Source: Association for Safe International Road Travel

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reality sets in and they are confronted with a real crisis situation. By the time their mind processes the situation, its too late, and the damage is done. Feeling secure and in control of a situation and being secure and in control are two very different things. Security is not grey. It is very black and white. Either you are secure, or you are not. There are varying degrees of security and also acceptable risk, but perception, in regards to security, can be your worst enemy. There is only one reality, regardless of what you think. So if the majority of the American population is walking around with a false sense of security, how do you get them to wake up? The proven answer is that you cant. (4)The best time to approach an organization or individual about conducting a security assessment is after they have been victimized. Unfortunately being victimized comes in varying degrees, and could result in catastrophic events, with irreversible consequences.

travel is risky. Even if they do acknowledge the risk, they dont feel that they can do anything about it? Many feel that the government should provide them with the proper protection and security? One of the facts that you can assume to be true when planning for a crisis overseas, is that the government is not coming to help you. There are very few incidents where the government will spend time and resources to protect, rescue or administer aid to a traveler overseas. There has to be a catastrophic event taking place or a high value individual in the group for government personnel to come to your aid. The key to survival is self-reliance, training and a good support system at home. People must plan like they are on their own because that is within their span of control. The government is not. Confronting an individual with the reality of the risks they are taking while traveling in foreign countries, is not an easy task. Once people have an idea in their head, or are set in a certain way, convincing them that they may be wrong, takes a special kind of finesse. This is especially true with experienced professionals that travel. They have seen and done it all, and you are just an amateur to them. Who are you to tell them that they are at risk when nothing has happened so far? Developing quarterly training, or tabletop exercises for an organizations travelers, can help that organizations personnel to see where they might be falling short, pertaining to safe travel. Listing all of the tasks associated with repatriation of a members remains, or how to secure the release of a member from jail, are great ways of jolting people into reality. If they can see and acknowledge that culture, business and life are not conducted the same way abroad, they might begin to understand some of the risk taken and begin to buy into a TRM program.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT IT
Opening the eyes (and minds) of the average American is not an easy thing. Most people are very comfortable with their way of thinking and uncomfortable with change. To approach someone and tell them the way they think and act could result in death, will most likely shut that individual down to any kind of constructive advice. There has to be some proof behind the theory in order to force an individual to face reality. Facing the reality of the situation is not enough in itself. You must also get the potential victim to take responsibility for their own safety and security. Its a huge step just to get someone to acknowledge that something like international

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Due to the difficulty in getting an organizations personnel to buy into a TRM program, it is imperative that the organization develop a written policy to provide guidance, and protect the organization. It is safe to say that most organizations do not provide their people with a written policy for safe traveling abroad, and if they do, it is usually out of date. The issues that stem from not having a policy, consist of personnel being less prepared for a dangerous situation, and organizational liability, regardless of whether the person signed a release. What are they signing a release for if there is no policy in place?

level where you can recover from such an incident without too much damage, then continue to operate as you are. Organizations are eventually going to be required to conduct this type of preparation and planning, just as they have to follow OSHA standards on a factory floor. Very recently Thailand was mulling the possibility of compulsory travel insurance, due to the high numbers of sickness, injuries and fatalities among foreign travelers in their country. Mexico has already made it mandatory for tourist to retain Mexican auto insurance. The time is coming when Travel Risk Management programs will become mandatory, as they should. The security of travelers is taken far too lightly and unfortunately travel agencies and managers put profit above the safety of people. The best way to cut down on crisis while traveling overseas and the associated cost, is to be proactive. Its good to have travel or liability insurance, and not have to use it. Implement a Travel Risk Management program and save money, your reputation and ultimately, lives.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR

As we enter into a globalized economy, the threats inherent with international travel and relocation are going to increase. Eventually, Americans are going to realize what people in the Middle East, Africa and some Asian countries already know. If you dont prepare for a crisis, you must be willing to accept the consequences. If your acceptable risk is at a

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO AND BE READY WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN.

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THE AUTHOR

Peter L Morton
Pete Morton is a Security Professional and the Founder of Morton Security Solutions. He is a prior Military Intelligence Officer in the US Army and has advised numerous Law Enforcement agencies, the DOD and Civilian Organizations on how to conduct operations safely, domestically and abroad. His main focus now is to bring common sense solutions to commercial and non-profit organizations, that send personnel into high risk areas abroad. He can be contacted at: Email: pmorton@mortonsecure.com Website: www.mortonsecure.com Blog: www.mortonsecureblog.com

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