International SOS Publishes Roadmap for Protecting Globally Mobile Employees
in an Increasingly Complex World
New White Paper Outlines Duty of Care, Integrated Risk Management Solutions
for Organizations Seeking to Safeguard Travelling Employees, International
Assignees
TREVOSE, Pa., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's global economy, companies
don't hesitate to cross borders, span time zones or operate in remote
locations to achieve their objectives - and neither do their employees. After
analyzing 300 global companies' travel itinerary data, a recent International
SOS study found that in the past year, more than 3.5 million international
trips were taken by employees, a quarter of which were to high or extreme risk
destinations. With this increased mobility comes inevitable risks - everything
from illness (H1N1 pandemic), to outbreaks of civil unrest (recent strife in
Guinea), to natural disaster (recent tragic events in Southeast Asia and the
South Pacific).
To assist companies in dealing with this uncertain world, International SOS
announced today the global release of a new white paper titled, "Duty of Care
of Employers for Protecting International Assignees, their Dependents, and
International Business Travelers." Authored by Lisbeth Claus, Ph.D., SPHR,
GPHR, professor of global HR at Willamette University, this roadmap provides
business leaders with the information and tools they need to protect their
most important asset - their employees - which allows them to also effectively
manage business, financial and reputational risks. With a focus on
safeguarding employees who travel or live abroad on assignment, the paper
breaks down the duty of care puzzle and provides an integrated risk management
approach to solving it.
"Many companies are overwhelmed when it comes to the issue of duty of care,"
said Suzanne Garber, Chief Operating Officer, International SOS, Americas
Region. "With this white paper, our focus is to clarify the landscape, convene
best practices and offer actionable guidance. Oftentimes, an organization
already has some of the resources to create a successful duty of care program;
it's just about bringing the right people - company leadership, human
resources experts, security professionals, travel managers - to the table to
develop a collaborative approach. Many organizations are operating across
borders without fully understanding the obligations that surround duty of
care."
Acknowledging that it is impossible to predict exactly when, where or how
crises will occur, the integrated risk management approach to duty of care put
forth by International SOS emphasizes the importance of preparedness and
planning. The paper advises that the best companies don't wait for an
emergency or a lawsuit to occur before putting in place a support system for
employees. Rather, leading companies and organizations recognize employee
health and safety as core components to their success and are proactive in
establishing standards and practices that reflect that:
"At KPMG, the principles of our duty of care program are woven into the
corporate culture we live every day," said Craig DeCampli, Director of Global
Security for KPMG, an audit, tax and advisory firm. "Safeguarding employees
from the moment they purchase a plane ticket to when they return home is
simply part of what we call 'the KPMG way.' We simply consider it the right
thing to do."
"Bank of America is committed to providing our employees with an environment
in which they can thrive, and a strong duty of care program is central to
achieving that commitment," said Ken Lucas, Senior Vice President,
Intelligence & Analysis Director, Corporate Security, Bank of America.
"Ensuring the wellbeing of each member of the Bank of America family -
wherever their work takes them - is a value that's woven deep into our
corporate culture."
"Wherever our work takes us, the NBA is committed to the health and safety of
all employees," said John Daniels, Senior Director, Facility Security,
National Basketball Association. "Our people are undeniably our most valuable
assets and we take every precaution in ensuring their wellbeing."
"For more than 45 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature, and in
doing so, our employees travel to all corners of the globe," said Mitchell
Keiver, Director of Safety, Security and Risk Management, World Wildlife Fund,
Inc. "Preparing and then enabling our dedicated staff to carry out this work
while staying healthy, safe and secure is our internal mission."
Leading up to the release of the white paper, International SOS held several
roundtable events led by Dr. Claus and attended by business leaders in New
York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington. D.C., and the company will
hold additional events in San Jose (October 28) and Portland (November 16).
During each session, attendees completed an interactive exercise in which they
discussed how they might address hypothetical employee crises while each
playing the role of a different corporate decision maker, from human resources
manager to legal counsel.
"The global business leaders we work with recognize that while duty of care is
a challenging issue, protecting employees is not only the right, but the smart
thing to do," said Garber. "International SOS is proud to offer a roadmap of
the challenging landscape, and will continue to serve as a resource to assist
companies in navigating it."
This is the first white paper that deals with duty of care as it applies to
international assignees, their dependents and international business
travelers. Key components of the white paper include a review of pertinent
legislation and case law summarizing 36 cases in nine countries with
information from the European Union and International Labor Organization;
reasoning as to why duty of care is fragmented within most organizations; a
cost-benefit analysis that also ties in a discussion around corporate social
responsibility. For more information on upcoming events, or to request a free
copy of the white paper, visit http://www.internationalsos.com/dutyofcare.
Operating in over 70 countries, International SOS
(http://www.internationalsos.com) helps organizations manage the health and
safety risks facing their travelers, international assignees and other
globally-mobile employees. Its services range from consultancy and planning
services to 24-hour medical and security advice and assistance. International
SOS provides emergency medical and security evacuations when there is a
critical illness, accident or civil unrest. Last year, the company handled
over 1,000,000 cases, including nearly 18,000 evacuations. International SOS
works in partnership with businesses, governments and non-profit organizations
and currently provides key services to 83 percent of the Fortune Global 100
companies. Working in some of the most inhospitable places on earth,
International SOS offers international standards of medical care where it is
not available or where cultural and language barriers exist.
CONTACTS:
Erin Giordano, International SOS Meghan Moran, Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.
215-942-8078 202-828-5068
erin.giordano@internationalsos.com meghan.moran@fleishman.com
SOURCE International SOS
Erin Giordano of International SOS, +1-215-942-8078,
erin.giordano@internationalsos.com; or Meghan Moran of Fleishman-Hillard,
Inc., +1-202-828-5068, meghan.moran@fleishman.com, for International SOS
