Safety or Spying? Company Tracking OK with Biz Travelers

Would you feel safer or spied-upon if your boss tracked your mobile device with GPS while you were on a business trip? The answer largely depends upon where you may be heading, with 94 percent of travelers surveyed by Business Travel News saying they’d have no problems with tracking if they were heading into a high-risk area. 

Although clearly defining a high-risk area is becoming more difficult, the travelers who said they would opt in for tracking would gladly do so if they even perceived a risk at their designated destination. 

The overwhelming agreement with being tracked was a bit surprising, particularly because 20 percent of survey participants said GPS tracking was generally “not appropriate,” even in high-risk areas. But when it came down to opting in for safety’s sake, it appears many changed their minds. 

Sixty-six percent of frequent travelers who hit the road at least 12 times each year said they were OK with GPS tracking for all trips, compared to the 45 percent of total respondents who agreed with tracking no matter where they may roam. 

SURVEY DETAILS 
 

The BTN survey wanted to determine who was responsible for the well-being of business travelers, and what methods companies should use to monitor their traveling employees. Survey participants consisted of 210 managed business travelers who went on at least four trips over the past year, with the trips including at least one flight and overnight hotel stay. 

Those who went on 12 or more trips per year were pegged as frequent travelers, and their responses often differed from those of the overall respondents. 

RESPONSIBILITY FOR WELL-BEING 
 

When it came to responsibility for well-being, 47 percent of all respondents said the entire onus falls on the shoulders of their companies. They felt it was up to their employers to provide safe lodging, transportation and access to support, along with knowing the travelers’ whereabouts and being able to help them in a crisis. 

Broken down by gender, statistics showed:

• Company entirely responsible for well-being: 45 percent men, 47 percent women
• Company very responsible for well-being: 33 percent men, 41 percent women
• Company and employee equally share responsibility for well-being: 18 percent men, 10 percent women 

OTHER RESULTS 
 

Nearly all respondents said it was fine with them if companies dug into their itinerary data for high-risk trips. Scanning itinerary data for all trips was OK with more than 75 percent of frequent travelers, compared to 66 percent of total respondents. 

Responses were similar when it came to companies monitoring credit card transactions to determine the last place a traveler charged an expense. Sixty-nine percent of frequent travelers and overall respondents said they’d have no problem with credit card data monitoring. 

Nearly half the business travelers surveyed don’t feel as safe on business trips as they did a year ago. Fifty-four percent of women feel less safe, compared to 46 percent of men and 47 percent of frequent travelers. Even if the headlines aren’t necessarily having an impact on trip volume, they’re certainly taking a toll on the traveler’s mindset. 

Whether your business trip takes you across town or across continents make travel easier with Chrome River’s expense management solution.