Despite growing red tape for British business, few could argue with the intentions of the Duty of Care legislation, although I do sympathise that this can create anxiety and confusion for businesses who are unsure about how to fulfil their obligations. I am talking about this on our blog because the legislation means that any vehicle being driven by an employee in a business capacity is considered a place of work and is therefore subject to Duty of Care. However, if the vehicle is a hire car it can save major headaches and potential legal implications as it puts the responsibility on the car hire company to ensure the car is fully checked, roadworthy and legally compliant.
As a business, if this is something that concerns you, you may be interested in our new Avis Business Solutions which offers tailored car rental products for business customers. You can find out more information on our website.
May 23rd, 2007 at 3:00 pm
This would be a great concept to apply in the states. Nothing like taking responsibility for your actions whether it’s in a car, hotel room or even for your own actions.
Even if your own actions are done during or after business hours we have a responsibility to those around us, and our actions tell a little about who we are as a person a (business or any society’s) culture. It’s like a social footprint.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:51 am
I’m not very knowledgeable in this area but I found your comment really interesting so I did a little digging around. The Center for Sustainable Innovation (based in Vermont, USA) has formulated the Social Footprint methodology to measure the impact of an organisation’s actions on society, in essence measuring the effectiveness of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. I read a good article about it on http://www.greenbiz.com although for my simple mind it made tough reading.