Concur Delivers Locate & Alert For Mobile Devices for Asia Pacific companies

Innovative solution helps keep track of employees and communicate with them in the event of natural disaster, political unrest or other travel disruption

Hong Kong, 20 September, 2012 – Two crucial components in any overall risk management plan for Hong Kong companies to consider when implementing “duty of care” for their employees – they need visibility into the location of each employee and a reliable communications capability. Concur (Nasdaq: CNQR), a leading provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions, announces the launch of its unique Locate & Alert service for mobile devices, enabling companies to track and identify the location of employees and provide effective communications with every impacted employee when needed.

Most companies in Hong Kong have adopted corporate social responsibilities (CSR) which help enhance the positive social impacts of activities with the public. However, CSR is not simply about giving back to the community and environment, but also about caring for the company’s most valuable assets – the employees – an obligation commonly referred to as “duty of care”.

In spite of the large number of multinational companies established in Hong Kong, very few employers place emphasis on delivering duty of care for their employees, defined as the moral and legal responsibility that employers should bear regarding the health, safety and security for their employees in the work environment – no matter where their work takes them.

“It is a company’s responsibility to provide a safe and healthy working environment for their employees, regardless of whether they are in a local office or traveling for business,” said Michael Eberhard, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific at Concur Technologies. “While many companies are comfortable in managing liabilities in relation to their employees’ duty of care, a significant portion of businesses with employees who travel overseas for work have no specific written policy that informs employees of procedures and actions that should be taken when their health, safety or security is at risk. This is why Concur offers the Locate and Alert service to Asia Pacific companies.”

As international travel is an integral part of the daily operations of multinational companies, employers should have a code of practice for emergency situations during business travels in order to protect the rights of the company and their employees. If an employee encounters any situation that may jeopardize one’s health or safety during a business trip, and the company is unable to provide immediate and efficient support, the employer could potentially face severe legal and financial litigations, as well as damage to its corporate reputation.

Not only can adopting a duty of care program protect employees and help promote a better and safer working environment, a well-established duty of care policy is integral to protecting the corporate reputation. It can foster stronger employee advocates by reinforcing the level of effort a company undertakes to ensure the well-being of its staff, while at the same time enhancing the company’s brand.

Locate & Alert is a new feature on the Concur platform that enables employers to keep record of past, current and future locations of all employees. Employees can check-in with their smartphone using the Concur Mobile application, and Locate & Alert automatically updates their location, also leveraging profile and itinerary data already in the system to help provide complete visibility.

Locate & Alert also provides a safe and stable two-way communication platform for employers and employees. When any urgent matter or unforeseen incident arises, such as a natural disaster, political unrest or travel disruption, the service can alert travelers, who can request assistance at the same time. Locate & Alert helps protect employees by building trust and enhancing communications between the employer and the employee, increasing operational efficiency and enhancing duty of care.

With Locate & Alert, organizations can: