Keeping expatriates safe: here's what to do protect your international assignees and business travelers

Workforce, Oct, 2002 by Charlene Marmer Solomon

Safety abroad always is a top priority. But personal security for American expatriates, international business travelers, and foreign expats working for American firms catapulted to the top of the list for global HR managers after September 11, 2001.

Of course, you can hire a security firm to help you create an entire program with complete crisis management planning and evacuation assistance. But ere are some other steps you can take today:

Find out where your people are

This may sound simplistic, but you'd be surprised to discover how many HR managers and security directors don't know exactly where everyone is. Once you know where they are, you need to create a system to continually update that information.

Next, everyone needs to know who they will contact--either a specific person or a dedicated crisis team--to report their whereabouts during times of tension. When an incident triggers an alert (and the organization should establish what those triggering events are), each person also should know who they need to contact to report on their location and safety.

Make sure your assignees know how to conduct themselves

"Give them simple, common-sense advice, says Elaine Carey, senior vice president of Washington DC-based Control Risks Group. "Tell them not to advertise that they're American or from an American company. Don't wear Nike or Reebok or some such symbol emblazoned on everything. Dress down, don't wear a lot of jewelry, and don't look like you have a lot of money."

Furthermore, tell your employees to be sure that someone knows where they are at all times, especially in locations that are potentially volatile. Be sure that managers know where employees are staying (if in a hotel), what office they're working out of on a particular day, and what clients they're seeing each day.

Become familiar with places to which you're sending people

Program managers need to be informed about these regions, countries and cities. The more expertise you have, the better off your employees are. It's easy Use governmental information sources such as the State Department resources, travel and educational Web sites including Lonely Planet and Infoplease, and general media outlets. These can lead you to other expert resources to deepen your knowledge about the countries' cultures.

You can also begin by buying a map. Don't laugh, but many managers don't know where-specifically-the expats live in a given territory or city. For example, what is the proximity of expat community to the American Embassy or consulate? Where are the American schools and clubs? Where is the airport? Are there areas of risk nearby?

Currently, American Embassies or American Cultural Institute are just not very safe places to be hanging out these days. Post the map, and mark the locations of your people, your facilities, and key American institutions with push pins.

Create a crisis team and a crisis plan

"If organizations have expatriates, they should have a crisis team," says Ray O'Hara, VP of the Western Region of Pinkerton Security. "This team becomes the eyes and ears and should be able to make sound business decisions regarding the movement of people." The team consists of senior managers, including HR legal, security, PR, but not the CEO or president because in a crisis, the team needs to be making decisions about expats and not be distracted by other strategic issues.

Benefits and Compensation

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