September 11, 2001 drew human resources, relocation policy design and program administration into a new era.
While well-run international assignment programs have always included provisions for employee safety and security, there is a greater sense of danger and a need to ensure nothing is overlooked. More employers are looking at what can and should be done when managing their expatriates and families while on foreign assignment.
The terrorist attacks on the United States showed the world that no one is immune to the potential for terrorist activity. Many employers realized that not only were expats and families in traditionally dangerous locations, such as the Middle East, parts of Asia and South America in need of safety and security support, but also those deployed anywhere in the world — including the United States.
Businesses still need to deploy people to remote and often dangerous locations. In the past 18 months, there have not been significant reductions in the number of expatriate assignments, although some employers have reconsidered certain locations and implemented shorter-term assignments so that families could remain at the home location.
Employers have a responsibility to adequately counsel assignees on the inherent risks involved with their assignments, and to put effective programs in place to mitigate risks to personal safety and to deal with incidents should they occur.
Often it is more high-profile risk items such as terrorism, political insurrection or abduction that are thought of as comprising security programs. But these matters are only a small piece of what makes up an effective personal security and safety program.
At a minimum, security preparedness is about information and access to resources. A plan does not have to cost a lot — a big part of program success is simply awareness and information.
For example, just knowing where business travellers are at all times and where expats and families live and work is a very large part of being prepared for incidents.
Maintaining updated travellers’ itineraries will ensure that in the event of a disaster or security issue, the employer has easy access to who might be a risk and is better able to implement an action strategy. Further, it is necessary to have an effective communication plan to contact workers abroad, learn their status and put plans into action.
Basic security background information can readily be obtained free of charge from consulates and governmental foreign affairs Web sites, and includes political briefings and warnings, simple travel dos and don’ts, disaster plans, emergency contacts and medical information. Accessing the services of security advisory firms will provide advanced information and program advice.
A sophisticated security preparedness program for travel and relocation purposes will likely involve assessment of the risk level for the locations employees will be travelling to and from. That risk assessment will determine what sort of policy or program is required for a particular employee population. The assessment might identify whether the focus should be on health issues, travel security, natural disasters, or political and terror-related concerns.
It may be that the employer requires different programs for each assignment location or in some cases a “one-size fits all” program could be created. Safety and security programs can be structured to incorporate activities to be completed during all stages of overall expatriate administration: pre-departure, mobilization, settling in, assignment duration and repatriation.
Employers should strive to achieve a healthy balance of providing information and training against causing undue stress and concern. Pre-departure training for expats and families should include “what if” scenarios with instruction given to managing these scenarios.
The list of what constitutes potential safety concerns is long, but all should be considered when determining a program: natural disasters, armed robbery, financial crime (credit, debit and phone cards), personal theft (especially laptops), aviation risk, political unrest, labour unrest, automobile accidents, political violence and terrorism, street crime and sexual assault.
An example of how providing pre-travel information to employees can help improve their personal safety and security may be found in a list of simple safe travel tips. This could include: lower your profile, know threats, make wise choices based on training, and know what to do in a crisis.
Plan for daytime arrival whenever possible, avoid night time ground transportation unless known cars and drivers are available, pay attention to the location of purses, briefcases, laptops and cell phones at all times, avoid unknown areas, don’t walk alone, look as if you belong, don’t purchase foreign currency at the airport, know your route, plan in advance, don’t look affluent or draw undue attention to yourself (avoid luggage tags that include company name or title), use safety locks and room safes in hotels, verify identity before opening doors, know escape routes, avoid political or religious comments, do not lose your sobriety, if attacked do not resist except in cases of sexual assault, travel with cash on hand, do not rely on just credit cards.
Knowing when to react is a critical management responsibility. Sometimes the signal is clear, such as when a natural disaster has occurred. In cases of political unrest or heightened tension, what is the threshold that would trigger a safety and security plan going into action? How is it monitored, who makes the decisions, what risk assessments are completed? Planning for such decisions in advance will make them easier to make in the face of an actual emergency.
Responsibility for decision-making needs to be thought out in advance. Questions to consider include: Should participation in the safety and security program be mandatory or optional for the expatriate and the family? When are actions in the plan such as evacuation, mandatory, and when can discretion be exercised? Who has the authority to make discretionary decisions — head office management, local management, the expatriate, the family?
Advance planning and advice can also go a long way towards alleviating anxiety and stress for expatriates and families while they travel and live abroad. Assignment failure and early repatriation are issues that all programs try to reduce, and an effective security program has the added benefit of helping in this area. Families will settle into their new location more effectively and the employee will be less distracted and therefore more productive if they have a sense that their security is being managed.
A systematic, planned and known approach to safety and security reduces vulnerability and controls costs. The key is to find the balance between overreacting to what has happened in recent months and under-preparing for what could happen next. In uncertain times and in uncertain areas of the world the insecurity of expats and their families could contribute to assignment failures, early return of expatriates, potential claims or lawsuits, negative publicity and additional costs.
A main tenet of security preparedness is that if an organization is anticipating instead of reacting, it is better able to reduce vulnerabilities and the probability of incidents.
Bev Belisle is an account manager with Royal LePage Relocation Services in Fort McMurray, Alta. She may be contacted at (780) 742-2330, [email protected] or visit www.relocationsolutions.ca. Wade Cuthbertson is a senior partner with Cuthbertson Macdonell & Associates, a firm providing customized relocation consulting services, in Calgary. He may be contracted at (403) 228-1073, [email protected] or visit www.cuthbertsonmacdonell.com.
While well-run international assignment programs have always included provisions for employee safety and security, there is a greater sense of danger and a need to ensure nothing is overlooked. More employers are looking at what can and should be done when managing their expatriates and families while on foreign assignment.
The terrorist attacks on the United States showed the world that no one is immune to the potential for terrorist activity. Many employers realized that not only were expats and families in traditionally dangerous locations, such as the Middle East, parts of Asia and South America in need of safety and security support, but also those deployed anywhere in the world — including the United States.
Businesses still need to deploy people to remote and often dangerous locations. In the past 18 months, there have not been significant reductions in the number of expatriate assignments, although some employers have reconsidered certain locations and implemented shorter-term assignments so that families could remain at the home location.
Employers have a responsibility to adequately counsel assignees on the inherent risks involved with their assignments, and to put effective programs in place to mitigate risks to personal safety and to deal with incidents should they occur.
Often it is more high-profile risk items such as terrorism, political insurrection or abduction that are thought of as comprising security programs. But these matters are only a small piece of what makes up an effective personal security and safety program.
At a minimum, security preparedness is about information and access to resources. A plan does not have to cost a lot — a big part of program success is simply awareness and information.
For example, just knowing where business travellers are at all times and where expats and families live and work is a very large part of being prepared for incidents.
Maintaining updated travellers’ itineraries will ensure that in the event of a disaster or security issue, the employer has easy access to who might be a risk and is better able to implement an action strategy. Further, it is necessary to have an effective communication plan to contact workers abroad, learn their status and put plans into action.
Basic security background information can readily be obtained free of charge from consulates and governmental foreign affairs Web sites, and includes political briefings and warnings, simple travel dos and don’ts, disaster plans, emergency contacts and medical information. Accessing the services of security advisory firms will provide advanced information and program advice.
A sophisticated security preparedness program for travel and relocation purposes will likely involve assessment of the risk level for the locations employees will be travelling to and from. That risk assessment will determine what sort of policy or program is required for a particular employee population. The assessment might identify whether the focus should be on health issues, travel security, natural disasters, or political and terror-related concerns.
It may be that the employer requires different programs for each assignment location or in some cases a “one-size fits all” program could be created. Safety and security programs can be structured to incorporate activities to be completed during all stages of overall expatriate administration: pre-departure, mobilization, settling in, assignment duration and repatriation.
Employers should strive to achieve a healthy balance of providing information and training against causing undue stress and concern. Pre-departure training for expats and families should include “what if” scenarios with instruction given to managing these scenarios.
The list of what constitutes potential safety concerns is long, but all should be considered when determining a program: natural disasters, armed robbery, financial crime (credit, debit and phone cards), personal theft (especially laptops), aviation risk, political unrest, labour unrest, automobile accidents, political violence and terrorism, street crime and sexual assault.
An example of how providing pre-travel information to employees can help improve their personal safety and security may be found in a list of simple safe travel tips. This could include: lower your profile, know threats, make wise choices based on training, and know what to do in a crisis.
Plan for daytime arrival whenever possible, avoid night time ground transportation unless known cars and drivers are available, pay attention to the location of purses, briefcases, laptops and cell phones at all times, avoid unknown areas, don’t walk alone, look as if you belong, don’t purchase foreign currency at the airport, know your route, plan in advance, don’t look affluent or draw undue attention to yourself (avoid luggage tags that include company name or title), use safety locks and room safes in hotels, verify identity before opening doors, know escape routes, avoid political or religious comments, do not lose your sobriety, if attacked do not resist except in cases of sexual assault, travel with cash on hand, do not rely on just credit cards.
Knowing when to react is a critical management responsibility. Sometimes the signal is clear, such as when a natural disaster has occurred. In cases of political unrest or heightened tension, what is the threshold that would trigger a safety and security plan going into action? How is it monitored, who makes the decisions, what risk assessments are completed? Planning for such decisions in advance will make them easier to make in the face of an actual emergency.
Responsibility for decision-making needs to be thought out in advance. Questions to consider include: Should participation in the safety and security program be mandatory or optional for the expatriate and the family? When are actions in the plan such as evacuation, mandatory, and when can discretion be exercised? Who has the authority to make discretionary decisions — head office management, local management, the expatriate, the family?
Advance planning and advice can also go a long way towards alleviating anxiety and stress for expatriates and families while they travel and live abroad. Assignment failure and early repatriation are issues that all programs try to reduce, and an effective security program has the added benefit of helping in this area. Families will settle into their new location more effectively and the employee will be less distracted and therefore more productive if they have a sense that their security is being managed.
A systematic, planned and known approach to safety and security reduces vulnerability and controls costs. The key is to find the balance between overreacting to what has happened in recent months and under-preparing for what could happen next. In uncertain times and in uncertain areas of the world the insecurity of expats and their families could contribute to assignment failures, early return of expatriates, potential claims or lawsuits, negative publicity and additional costs.
A main tenet of security preparedness is that if an organization is anticipating instead of reacting, it is better able to reduce vulnerabilities and the probability of incidents.
Bev Belisle is an account manager with Royal LePage Relocation Services in Fort McMurray, Alta. She may be contacted at (780) 742-2330, [email protected] or visit www.relocationsolutions.ca. Wade Cuthbertson is a senior partner with Cuthbertson Macdonell & Associates, a firm providing customized relocation consulting services, in Calgary. He may be contracted at (403) 228-1073, [email protected] or visit www.cuthbertsonmacdonell.com.
