What are companies doing about Middle East evacuations?

Even the most thoughtful mobility programs continue to be tested right now. Plans were in place. Policies existed. Vendors were engaged.

And still, what we’re seeing across the Middle East is a reminder of something uncomfortable but important:

You can plan well and still not be fully prepared.

Companies moved quickly. Some initiated voluntary evacuations, others mandated them. Some required critical staff to remain while families left. In a number of cases, employees pushed back—wanting to stay to preserve schooling continuity or remain with pets.

On paper, these are policy decisions. In reality, they are human decisions. And that’s where the real challenges emerge.

The challenges companies are dealing with right now

Three issues are consistently rising to the surface:

• Pets

• Schooling

• The “what happens next?” question

Each is difficult. One is dominating: EDUCATION.

Pets: a logistical issue with emotional weight

Many evacuation flights did not allow animals. Families had to leave them behind.

That has created a deeply uncomfortable situation—employees safely relocated, but separated from pets still in-country. In most cases, pets are being cared for by friends or domestic help, though, even domestic help might not be an option, given residency dependencies on the employee.

Some employees are attempting to relocate pets independently, but face hurdles around documentation, clearances, and transport availability.

For companies, there are limited viable solutions. Most are taking a hands-off approach, not out of indifference, but because support is often not feasible or part of the routine policy support.

Education: the issue driving decisions

If there is one area where pressure is building, it is education.

Critical school years

The stakes are highest for:

• Final-year high school students

• Students sitting for AP or other key exams

• Those transitioning to university

Disruption here can have lasting consequences. Some companies are making exceptions—allowing families to return so children can complete the school year. Others are sending students back temporarily to sit exams, with the expectation they leave again afterward.

For all children

Beyond critical years, the situation remains complex. Remote schooling is inconsistent. Time zones don’t always work. In some cases, it is no longer available as schools reopen and governments encourage—or require—return. Families are left trying to make decisions without clarity:

• Do we enroll in the home country for the next school year?

• Do we wait and hope for a return to host?

• What support will the company provide—and for how long?

There is no single answer emerging—and that uncertainty is driving anxiety.

The options on the table

Rather than one clear path, companies are navigating a set of imperfect options—each with real trade-offs.

Allowing families to return (selectively)

Some organizations are making targeted exceptions, particularly for critical schooling years. This supports continuity but introduces risk and inconsistency across the population.

Shifting to “married unaccompanied” status

In many cases, employees can continue remain in location while families stay in the home country. This stabilizes the immediate situation but creates downstream implications:

• Potential shift to single-status COLA and benefits

• Questions around how long this arrangement is sustainable

• Additional travel benefits in theory but practical challenges if travel remains constrained

Supporting schooling in the home country

Approaches here vary significantly:

• Some companies will fund international schooling at home, often limited to critical years or capped at host-country cost

• Others do not provide schooling support, if the employee is classified as unaccompanied

For companies that already allow international schooling at home, this is easier to operationalize. For those that don’t, it is a hard line to maintain under pressure.

Waiting for clarity before committing to return employees and/or families

Many companies are holding position, monitoring the situation while trying to preserve flexibility. Most are targeting early summer—often June—as a decision point, allowing families to plan for the next academic year.

Until then, employees are being asked to sit in uncertainty.

The operational reality behind it all

Alongside these decisions, the operational burden is significant:

Tracking

Many organizations are struggling to track where employees and families actually are. Existing systems often don’t support this in real time, leading to manual tracking—frequently in spreadsheets or shared sites.

Communication

Coordinating clear, consistent communication across time zones is complex.

Some companies rely on local HR for real-time updates. Others centralize through global mobility—typically where there is 24/7 coverage. Both models can work, but require strong coordination.

Employee support

Some organizations are proactively engaging EAP providers to support employees and families through uncertainty.

None of this is simple. And much of it is being built in real time.

What comes next

There are still more questions than answers.

• When—and whether—to return families

• How to support schooling decisions for the next academic year

• What this means for long-term staffing plans in the region

At the same time, companies are starting to think about what to do to be better prepared next time:

• Being more explicit about trade-offs upfront before accepting an assignment. For example, being explicit that bringing pets is a risk, especially if there is an evacuation.

• Reinforcing expectations around preparedness. Not allowing complacency regarding being prepared with a “go bag”.

• Reassessing communication infrastructure—satellite phones, backup connectivity such as Starlink, and alternative channels like What’sApp.

The reality

Every evacuation need is different.

But the pattern is clear:

Even well-designed programs will need to be flexible as it is not possible to consider all contingencies.

Mobility isn’t just about policies working as designed.

It’s about navigating moments where there is no perfect answer—and helping employees and the company make decisions anyway.
And right now, that’s the work.

Pulse Survey: Evolving Mobility Support in the Middle East

As a follow-up to our earlier Pulse Survey on evacuations and danger pay, we’re now exploring how companies are supporting international assignees as the situation evolves.

If your organization has assignees in the region, we would appreciate it if you could please take a moment to complete this short pulse survey and share how you are adapting in this next phase.

Given the timeliness of this topic, this pulse survey will only be open until the end of Friday May 8. Results will be aggregated and published quickly.