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Lee McDonald

Brussels Attack: International Business Travel – Global Monitoring Alert Excerpt

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IMG GlobalSecur provides alerts to our subscribers on events and potential threats worldwide. Today, unfortunately, the world awoke to an unfolding political crisis in Belgium, following deadly terrorist attacks at the airport and on public transportation. The following is an excerpt from our Global Monitoring Alert for 22 March 2016 / 0700 UTC:

On 22 March 2016 at approximately 0800 local time (0700 UTC), two explosions took place in the departure hall of Brussels Zaventem International Airport (EBrussels AttackBBR/BRU), reportedly near the American Airlines check-in counters. Preliminary reports state that at least one person was killed and dozens of others were injured in the explosions; some reports state that as many as 12 people were killed. Operations at EBBR have been severely disrupted; all outgoing flights have been canceled and all incoming flights are being diverted from the facility. Unconfirmed reports state that firefighters have discovered undetonated explosive devices at EBBR. The airport is being evacuated and the surrounding areas have been locked down. There are also emerging reports of an explosion at the Maalbeek metro station, which is located near European Union facilities in Brussels. Authorities are reportedly shutting down the metro system in response to that incident, although the cause of the apparent blast and its immediate effects remain unclear.

For up-to-date public news coverage, please visit – Google News | Yahoo News. On an on-going basis, companies with employees posted abroad are encouraged to reach out to us to learn about the services provided. The unfortunate events unfolding in Belgium are yet another reminder of the security threats posed to innocent civilians in a turbulent world.

Recommendations after Brussels Attack for International Business Travel (Employee / Executive Travel)

  • Travel security managers should make contact with their employees in Brussels to determine their status and location.
  • Those with plans to travel through Brussels airport should anticipate cancellations or significant delays.
  • Travelers should avoid the Zaventem municipality and areas surrounding the airport to the extent possible. If travelers are currently in the affected area, they should locate a secure area and remain there until authorities provide further instructions.
  • Those in the impacted area should closely monitor local news reports.

 

Employee Travel Safety Needs Remain the Same No Matter the Description

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In a business journal you may read statistics about “global travel” rising or falling. A trade publication for the airline, ocean cruise or hospitality industries might speak of “overseas travel.” The U.S. State Department couches its press releases in phrases like “international travel.” [Read more…] about Employee Travel Safety Needs Remain the Same No Matter the Description

Overseas Medical Assistance and Your Employees: Don’t Overlook the Flu!

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Overseas travel for your employees can be enjoyable, but at the same time there is no discounting that it put a certain amount of stress on the human body. Long planes flights (even business class isn’t what it used to be), disrupted sleep schedules due to the change of time zones and exigencies of travel, and so on, can all stress anyone from a junior employee to a seasoned senior executive. Then add to that exposure to unfamiliar pathogens, and we’re getting nervous about our employees abroad. Getting sick is never fun, but when an illness is added to the other stresses, suddenly employee overseas medical assistance can go from being a theoretical “safety net” option to a clear and pressing need.

Employee Overseas Medical Assistance: A Not-So-Simple Case of Flu

To see how a simple case of the flu can escalate to the point where employee overseas medical assistance is might be needed, follow the the actions of a hypothetical traveler from Canada who just landed in the tropics. This person unknowingly already had a mild case of the flu, but this was ignored in the run-up to the trip. Employee Medical Assistance OverseasThe day after arrival symptoms like fever started to manifest, but they put it down to lack of acclimatization to the tropical heat. One day two they were feeling distinctly worse, but of course there was work to do–the whole reason for the trip was business–and so soldiered on. By day three the flu laid them low, and in their weakened state they got a local bacterial infection from impure water, and they become dehydrated. Suddenly this traveler is at significant medical risk.

What might be a simple problem in Canada or the United States, can become a major employee crisis in a country such as Mexico or Brazil – not necessarily because of the health care system itself, but because your employee or senior executive is unfamiliar with how the health care system works in that country. And, in addition, he or she is under the weather. Can you imagine trying to navigate the health care system of a foreign country, when you are in ‘good health?’ Now imagine that when you are in ‘bad health.’

A Proven, Trusted Network for Overseas Employee Medical Assistance

You need a trusted friend, a trusted network, and someone who knows how to deal with overseas employee crises. This is the point where IMG Globalsecur employee monitoring tools and a pre-planned employee overseas medical assistance protocol could be a game-changer.

To how IMG Globalsecur can help you plan for just such incidents of employee overseas medical assistance, reach out to us today and have one of our friendly staff conduct an employee overseas monitoring audit and demo the available software.

Overseas Employee Monitoring Featured in New Post, Announces IMG Group

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Los Angeles, California – February 29, 2016. IMG GlobalSecur, a leading global security consulting firm, is proud to announce an important post to its customer-facing blog on the issue of overseas employee monitoring. The IMG GlobalSecur blog is meant to explain employee security issues and monitoring opportunities in a straightforward manner, suitable for busy human resources managers or senior executives who manage an employee workforce abroad. [Read more…] about Overseas Employee Monitoring Featured in New Post, Announces IMG Group

Define Your Travel Abroad Security Priorities Then Devise a Strategy to Achieve Your Goals

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There are different possible definitions of travel abroad security: medical emergency security, safety from terrorist threats, executive travel security, or even just the peace-of-mind that derives from help is near at hand should something go wrong. In a perfect world all of these could be comprehensively dealt with at once, but realistically the costs could be prohibitive. Unless you are a head-of-state, there is a need to prioritize the risks that most concern you and your organization, and plan accordingly.

Travel Abroad Security: Define Your Goals, Devise a Strategy

The first step in devising a travel abroad security strategy that can be successfully implemented within budgetary constraints is to define your goals. This is done by evaluating the importance of each type of risk you think will be faced. This may require evaluating some difficult questions regarding degree of possible harm an individual may face. In most locations “active shooter” events are extremely rare, even less than they might be back at home (though very high-profile). On the other hand, medical emergencies are just as likely as they would be back home. Which of these two is then your priority?

Employee Travel SecurityIn terms of employee travel security, here are some important things to think about. First, how many of your employees actually travel abroad? You might have just one or two key executives, or you might have literally hundreds of employees in tens of countries across the world. The quantity makes a difference because, of course, it is more difficult to track a large number of people, and keep them secure and informed, then it is to track a small number of people. Second, which countries are your employees deployed to? It makes a difference, of course, whether these employees are deployed into relatively secure countries like Germany or France, or countries which unfortunately have a more complicated security situation, such as Turkey, Afghanistan, or Guatemala. Now, that is not to say, that only countries in the developing world faced security challenges! As recent events in France have shown, even countries in Western Europe can face significant security challenges, and these challenges can impact your employees. Third, what are the priorities not only of your organization but of the employees themselves? In some situations, such as that of United States defense contractors, the organization itself has to have a very secure profile. Whereas in others, such as a small business, or perhaps a consumer oriented company, the security situation is not as complicated from the perspective of the organization. Next, seen from the perspective of the employees themselves, some employees may be participatory in monitoring systems, whereas in other organizations the employees are more willing to take the risks on themselves.

Travel abroad security, of course, is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to speak with one of our security consultants, to discuss the best security situation for them and their company.

The best way to learn more about travel abroad security, balancing risks and rewards, is to reach out to us and have one of our friendly staff conduct an employee overseas monitoring audit and demo the available software.