Risky overseas assignments increase
According to a recent study from insurance and assistance provider Collinson Group, businesses are increasingly sending employees to ever riskier locations for their international assignments.
The study, which took in responses from HR professionals in the UK, found that around one-quarter are increasing their staff numbers in emerging economies such as China and Russia, destinations that carry with them increased risks to security and health. Eight per cent, meanwhile, are dispatching more employees to so-called ‘frontier territories’ such as Argentina and Nigeria.
What’s more, businesses are demanding that providers of IPMI products respond quickly to these changes in order that duty of care requirements can be met. Fifty-six per cent of study respondents said that IPMI was the most vital product or service required by staff heading off on long-term international placements, and 79 per cent said that they considered it important for their IPMI partners to include security, repatriation, pre-travel preparation and cultural advice in their packages.
“Customers of IPMI providers recognise the strong growth prospects that emerging economies and frontier markets offer, with their abundance of natural resources and rapidly growing populations often fuelling major infrastructure investments,” said Lawrence Watts, Commercial Director at Collinson. “However, they also acknowledge that the heightened risk profile of many of these locations requires duty of care and IPMI policies that are fit for purpose. Businesses have the option of using our security and risk alerts as part of their offering, for instance”
Collinson’s Head of Business Development, Accident and Health, Michelle Elmore, pointed out that in Nigeria, for example, Collinson is seeing increased levels of local healthcare provision. “However,” she said, “a lack of reliability of medical supplies, combined with the challenge of securing and retaining the appropriate clinical staff, may mean that treatment out of the country is still required.”
Despite these challenges, 46 per cent of study respondents said that they believe these risky assignments will only increase.