HEALTH
guidelines about how often employees can travel and how long they can be overseas.” Gone are the days when iPMI was just
about providing care for expatriates who fell ill. Spurred by demand from employers keen to meet their duty of care and avoid unnecessary health-related costs, iPMI providers are expanding their offering to include wellness and screening services, employee assistance programmes (EAPs), and apps and other technologies designed to help employees to take control of their own wellbeing. Wellness at work is a relatively new
concept, but one that is gaining traction as its value to businesses and individuals is increasingly recognised. Earlier this year, a CIPD report, Growing the Health and Wellbeing Agenda: From First Steps to Full Potential, highlighted the role of healthy workplaces in closing the UK’s productivity gap. The value of work-life balance, and with it the importance of good mental health, is also
provider, EAPs can play a useful part in helping employees to acclimatise to new surroundings by offering support in a wide range of areas, from eldercare and childcare to legal, financial and relationship issues, workplace conflict, and even home maintenance. As an indication of the growing
recognition among employers of the importance of supporting employees’ overall wellbeing, Aetna International is now providing its EAP as a standard benefit across most of its international healthcare plans. Going one step further, the Health
Insurance Group recently introduced a worldwide EAP combined with a range of “intercultural solutions” covering destination, selection and preparation, and repatriation, designed to help employers to
promote assignments. successful international
health insurance claims quickly and easily, track their progress, and access policy documents even where there is no internet access – vital for those working in remote locations. Users can also obtain advice on a range of topics and access useful online tools. Consulting firm Mercer is partnering
with remote care company Babylon to provide access to GP and specialist consultations within minutes via video consultation, phone call or text message. A monitoring system keeps track of everything from key organ functions to cholesterol levels, checking billions of symptoms. The information is then analysed by Babylon’s doctors, who can suggest preventive measures if necessary. Jelf predicted at the start of 2016 that, with
rising costs driving the need for innovation and technological advances, the use of wearable technology would also be crucial in meeting future global healthcare challenges.
A partnership with employees Pre-departure, employers should ensure that their international assignees are fully informed about healthcare provision in their destination country, manage their expectations, and put in place appropriate medical evacuation plans. Expatriates should be made aware that,
even in relatively developed parts of the world, the standard of medical care may be very different from what they are used to. Language may also prove a problem. Employees must take an active part
in promoting their own wellbeing. This includes, says Jelf ’s David Hilton, familiarising themselves with the benefits and assistance packages provided by their employer, and ensuring they have all pertinent information to hand. They should also ensure they have a
becoming accepted by employers. Globally mobile employees, who must adapt to a whole new environment as well as a new job, may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of stress and need help with managing it.
EAPs: next-generation support By addressing wider issues than the purely physical, international employee assistance programmes are a logical next step in supporting globally mobile employees. Depending on the individual
Technology tools In recent years, apps for mobile devices have joined health insurers’ websites in making it easy for expatriates and international assignees to access health information, support and other health- related services. Shortlisted in the Technological
Innovation category of the Relocate Awards 2015/16, the Allianz MyHealth App, from Allianz Worldwide Care, allows employees on the move to submit
pre-departure check-up, keep relevant vaccinations and immunisations up to date, and, in regions where specific diseases are a risk (the Zika virus in Latin America being a topical example), follow advice on personal hygiene and avoid contact with potential sources of infection. Solace Global’s Kieran Lavy says,
“Understanding the basic travel advice for each country can make the difference between a successful trip and a disastrous one. Simple steps can keep you much safer. These include knowing what areas of your destination are less safe, whether the water is safe to drink, whether you should be taking anti-malarial tablets and Deet spray, what taxis to use or avoid, is it safe to walk around at night, and so on.”
48 | Re:locate | Autumn 2016
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