OF CORONAVIRUS YOUR EMPLOYEES


T


he coronavirus has affected virtually every continent in the world and global travel is increasingly curtailed and restricted. For many businesses, the challenge is to keep staff who are abroad safe, ensuring they have


accurate and up-to-date information – and are fully supported. Managers must also make key decisions on future assignments, balancing the risk to staff against the need to continue operating as a business and providing a service to clients.


PUTTING EMPLOYEE WELLBEING AT THE


FOREFRONT OF CARE On a practical level, Paul Holcroft, associate director at HR consultancy Croner – which specialises in employment law, HR and health & safety – says the key is always to know where your employees are and where they are going. This may sound like a simple task, but the practical challenges of keeping track of every member of staff around the world on an hour-by-hour basis can be overwhelming. He says you should consider alternatives to any planned travel


to affected areas; for example, postponing a trip or carrying out meetings via Skype. “If travel is deemed necessary, then you should effectively


but proportionately manage the risk. Always know where your employees are and where they are going. Ensure they are given clear instructions on hygiene.” If employees report symptoms of the virus while they are


travelling, you will need to support them. Also, if employees become sick with the coronavirus, they should be paid sick pay in accordance with your normal policy, says Michael Burd, partner at law firm Lewis Silkin. “Employees who are not sick but are being requested to remain


away from work may be able to work from home,” he says. “Even if they cannot work from home, they should be paid their normal salary if they are well enough to work, but are being requested not to attend work.”


THE CHALLENGES AND HOW TO PROTECT


While the world had to adjust to the SARS outbreak in 2002, coronavirus (or covid-19) is on a scale not seen before and transmission appears to be rapid and widespread. So how should businesses, HR departments and global mobility companies respond to such challenges? Marianne Curphey looks at the moral, legal and practical implications of this crisis.


TRAVEL INSURANCE: GETTING THE RIGHT POLICY The foundation of good employee care overseas is a comprehensive travel insurance policy. Historically, healthcare and travel insurance policies have been reactive, i.e. when the employee needs help they call for assistance and the 24/7 assistance provider delivers the required solution. However, a new suite of insurance products are now much more proactive. Juan Peña Núñez, business development director at Healix


International, says that travel and healthcare insurance products now offer an impressive suite of proactive benefits, so that people can access pre-travel medical and security information hotlines, apps, portals, travel-specific e-learning, high-level medical and security risk reports, and security alerts. “While these policies can be very comprehensive, there still may be a perceived shortfall in cover for services not traditionally covered under the insurance,” he says. For example, employee traveller tracking, close protection, medical and security consultancy, medical screening, and pandemic disease planning may not be covered. “This often results in organisations supplementing their


insurance cover by buying top-up risk mitigation services – usually from their emergency assistance provider – for an integrated one-stop solution,” adds Mr Peña Núñez. This can complement the insurance product simply and efficiently, by providing a single point of contact for insured and non-insured risk mitigation services. Typically, unless the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)


has advised against travel to a destination, customers will not be covered by their insurance for what is called a ‘disinclination’ to travel. “However, having a range of relevant insurance products to choose from at the point of sale can help to protect customers, such as cancel for any reason (CAFR) insurance, which would enable customers to claim in such circumstances,” says Peter Smith, head of strategic partnerships - travel (EMEA) at Cover Genius, which provides insurance for the world’s largest e-commerce companies, including travel brands such as Booking.com.


10 | RELOCATE | SPRING 2020


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