The New Duty of Care: Building Workforce Capability in an Era of Constant Disruption

In an increasingly unpredictable world, duty of care is evolving from a travel risk function into a strategic business capability. Organisations that can anticipate disruption, maintain workforce confidence and support employee wellbeing are better positioned to sustain operations, retain talent and deliver performance when conditions become challenging. Increasingly, it is also becoming a source of competitive advantage.

Recent events across the Middle East have once again highlighted how quickly operating conditions can change. Escalating geopolitical tensions, airspace restrictions and rapidly evolving security situations have required organisations to make critical decisions at pace while managing the movement and wellbeing of employees across multiple locations.

Yet many organisations still view duty of care primarily through the lens of traveller tracking and emergency response. While these capabilities remain essential, they represent only one aspect of a much broader responsibility.

The organisations that navigate disruption most effectively are rarely those with the most sophisticated tracking tools alone. They are the ones that have embedded duty of care into leadership decision-making, workforce planning and operational strategy. In today’s environment, duty of care is no longer simply a response capability. It is a measure of organisational resilience.

Moving from reaction to anticipation

One of the biggest misconceptions about duty of care is that it begins when something goes wrong. In reality, the quality of an organisation’s response is largely determined long before an incident occurs. The difference between disruption and resilience is often measured not by how quickly an organisation reacts, but by how effectively it anticipates.

Companies today face a diverse range of challenges, from geopolitical instability and extreme weather events to health concerns, cyber threats and operational disruptions. As a result, duty of care has evolved from a reactive risk management function into a strategic enabler of organisational strength and performance.

Recent global research found that 53% of business travellers experienced travel disruptions in 2025, highlighting how uncertainty has become a routine feature of international travel rather than an occasional exception.

The next generation of duty of care will be measured not by incident response times, but by an organisation’s ability to maintain workforce mobility during disruption. Visibility remains important, but competitive advantage increasingly comes from foresight: understanding where disruption may emerge, assessing its potential impact and making informed decisions before employees are affected.

In sectors dependent on specialist talent and global operations, the ability to keep people moving safely and confidently may become one of the defining characteristics of organisational capability.

Duty of care is now a driver of workforce confidence

The expectations of travelling employees have changed significantly over the last decade.

Historically, duty of care was viewed primarily through the lens of safety and security. Today, employees expect organisations to anticipate risks, manage disruption effectively and provide support when it is needed.

Recent research found that 67% of business travellers are hesitant to travel for work this year, citing safety concerns, disruptions and growing unpredictability. As risk becomes a more visible part of the travel experience, employees increasingly expect organisations to provide greater support, communication and reassurance.

This reflects a wider evolution in the relationship between employers and employees. People increasingly want to work for organisations that demonstrate a genuine commitment to their wellbeing, not just their productivity.

The implications extend beyond employee safety. Workforce confidence has become a business asset. Employees who trust their organisation to support them in uncertain environments are more willing to travel, take on challenging assignments and contribute where the business needs them most.

Recent research found that 60% of business travellers would consider leaving their employer if they felt their safety while travelling was not a priority. Duty of care therefore has a direct influence on employee engagement, retention and organisational agility.

As organisations adapt to a more volatile operating environment, workforce confidence is emerging as a critical indicator of organisational and resilience. Organisations that can maintain employee trust during periods of disruption will be better positioned to sustain performance when conditions become challenging.

The strategic challenge facing the energy sector

The energy sector presents a unique challenge because our people often travel to where the risk is.

Whether supporting offshore installations, remote project sites, major capital developments or operations in emerging markets, travel is frequently inseparable from business delivery itself.

Employees may operate in locations with limited infrastructure, challenging logistics, extreme weather conditions or heightened geopolitical concerns. At the same time, they are often working under significant operational pressure, where fatigue, wellbeing and situational awareness can directly impact both safety and performance.

As global energy projects become increasingly dependent on mobile specialist talent, workforce mobility itself is becoming a strategic asset. Organisations that can deploy and support people confidently in complex environments gain a measurable advantage in project delivery, operational continuity and growth.

Preparation therefore becomes just as important as response. Organisations need access to real-time intelligence, robust contingency planning and the ability to communicate with and support their people wherever they are in the world.

Leading organisations increasingly recognise that wellbeing, fatigue management and workforce effectiveness are not separate from safety; they are fundamental to it.

In energy, duty of care is no longer simply a workforce protection issue. The ability to mobilise, support and protect a global workforce has a direct impact on project execution, productivity, reputation and long-term growth.

Technology enables capability, people deliver care

Technology has transformed duty of care. Real-time visibility, risk intelligence and communication tools have dramatically improved organisations’ ability to understand what is happening and respond when situations change.

However, technology alone is not enough.

Technology can provide visibility, but it cannot fully account for individual circumstances, ambiguity or the human impact of decisions. During periods of uncertainty, what employees often need most is clear guidance, empathy and informed decision-making.

The future of duty of care lies in combining technology, intelligence and human expertise. Technology scales awareness and supports decision-making, but people remain central to building trust and delivering meaningful support when it matters most.

A leadership responsibility

Many organisations still view duty of care as a compliance obligation or support function activated during an incident. That mindset increasingly belongs to a more predictable era.

Today, workforce mobility, employee confidence and operational capability are closely interconnected. Organisations that continue to treat duty of care as a cost centre risk overlooking its growing role as a strategic enabler of performance.

For years, organisations measured duty of care by their ability to respond to a crisis. Increasingly, they will be judged by their ability to sustain workforce mobility, employee confidence and operational performance despite continuous disruption.

Success will not belong to organisations with the most sophisticated tracking technology alone. It will be the ones that build trust, anticipate risk and embed capability under disruption into how they lead and operate. As workforce confidence becomes an increasingly important measure of organisational resilience, leaders will need to view duty of care not as a support function, but as a strategic capability.

In this environment, duty of care is no longer simply about protecting people. It is becoming a source of competitive advantage, enabling organisations to attract talent, sustain performance and deliver growth in an increasingly uncertain world. Ultimately, it allows organisations to outperform through disruption rather than simply withstand it.