Planning an international assignment often involves meticulous attention to details like booking flights, finding rental properties, selecting schools, opening bank accounts, and even shipping pets. Both employers and employees invest significant time researching and preparing for these aspects.
However, what about the unexpected? Emergencies—such as natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, pandemics, personal injury, or unforeseen accidents—can and do occur. Yet, they often receive less focus during the planning process.
As a mobility professional, you might be well-versed in the latest accommodation options in Singapore or your company’s travel policies for Europe. But how prepared are you to respond when an emergency strikes? Would your assignees know where to turn?
In this blog series based on our recent white paper written with advice from International SOS, we explore critical insights and practical strategies for managing emergencies during international assignments, ensuring your teams are equipped to handle the unexpected. First up, planning!
Planning
As with the more regular elements of an international assignment, proactive planning can also help a business respond effectively to an emergency. Some key planning elements for an employer to consider include:
UP-TO-DATE DOCUMENTATION
Stay on top of your employees’ required immigration documentation. Ensuring valid travel documents are in place allows them to cross borders swiftly in the event of an emergency.
MEDICAL AND HEALTH
Anticipating potential health issues and preparing accordingly is crucial. Ensure that your employees understand how their private healthcare works and what support they would receive in an emergency – before the emergency happens!
CLEAR AND WELL-DEFINED PROCEDURES
Having well-defined procedures for responding to emergencies or evacuations can significantly improve response times and outcomes. Clear procedures help ensure the company can respond operationally, as well as supporting the employee’s personal wellbeing.
PARTNERSHIPS
Mobility teams should establish strong relationships with partners such as travel companies and support services for employee well-being (including mental health and post-trauma support).
EMPLOYEE EDUCATION
Companies should educate employees about the key risks associated with their assignment locations (health, security, etc.), as well as guidance on managing these risks.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS
Having plans in place for medical evacuations is crucial. Practicing these plans, identifying the crisis team, defining roles and responsibilities, and rehearsing different scenarios are key to success.
By their very nature, emergencies occur unexpectedly: having clear, well-practiced procedures ensures everyone knows what to do and how to respond. Whilst the above list is not exhaustive, it covers some of the main areas which will help build a robust response plan.
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