Remote work options have given many employees the opportunity to travel and work from wherever they choose. While this is freeing for workers, it leaves many employers with no clear indication of where in the world their staff actually is, which can be very bad news in the wake of a crisis.
Global Guardian, an international security and medical services provider for corporate and family travelers, found that
"Prior to COVID, you had a very small cohort of people who were traveling," says Dale Buckner, Global Guardian's CEO. "Now that corporate America has people working remotely, it means an entire firm could be considered travelers. Many employers haven't formalized the way this is being tracked, or what they owe an employee if and when that employee gets themselves in trouble or they're injured or sick abroad."
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Treating remote employees as travelers is a major step a company can take to protect itself and its people, Buckner says. This means knowing where they are, having them check in, and briefing them when they travel to certain locations, for both work and leisure trips. Most importantly, he says, a company needs to know how it is going to reach out and what it is responsible for in extreme instances of kidnap and ransom, or in the case of
"[Employers] had employees they did not know were in Turkey, and there was a massive earthquake," he says. "They needed to be evacuated, they could be injured, and the roads, water and electricity were gone. We got calls asking, 'Can you get my employee out?' I can apply this to Ukraine, Russia, the 2017 hurricanes, the Texas flood and tornadoes through the middle of the country last year."
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Though it may seem daunting to incorporate or expand a corporate security program, Buckner lays out how organizations can get a handle on keeping track of their people into basic steps. First is to conduct a current employee assessment, including updated contact information. Employers can also look at any emerging threats to their employee base, for example, hurricanes for an employee in Florida, tornadoes for an employee in the Midwest, etc., and then establish protocols for primary threats. Additionally, employers should expand insurance to include remote employees as travelers.
Once these policies are in place, technology can be used to help employees maintain their end of communication and follow the protocols. This can be as simple as an app on their phone that they simply hit to log their approximate location. Buckner's company uses an app check-in feature that narrows a person's location down to within 50 meters, and also has a button to push in case of emergency. This, he says, allows employees a good amount of anonymity, while also connecting them with a global lifeline.
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So how can a company put a security plan in place that employees will adhere to? Keep it transparent, says Buckner. When a company emphasizes that they are doing this as a way to take care of their people should anything bad happen, the
"The amount of global disruptions is ever-expanding," Buckner says. "Whether it's a protest from a shooting, a wildfire in California, flooding or a hurricane in the Philippines — you tell your workforce, 'We don't anticipate this happening, but we want to be prepared to not only support you, but support your family members. If you [follow the security plan], then we will be prepared as a firm to help you in your greatest moment of need.'"
