Risks for employees reach five-year high

Each year, the International SOS Risk Outlook study examines risks to employees, identifying gaps in employee health and safety protection. These include risk perception, mental health, impact on productivity and operational challenges. Also incorporated into this study are findings from the Workforce Resilience Council (a panel of representative experts from all health, safety and occupational safety fields) and extensive consolidated data from International SOS with support from their clients. The study's key findings show one thing: Covid-19 overshadows everything.

The risks for employees are expected to increase in 2021

Around eight out of ten survey participants say the health and safety risks for employees have increased in 2020. This applies to local employees at the company site (85 percent agree), expatriates (81 percent), business travelers (79 percent) and employees at remote project sites and construction sites (77 percent). More than half of respondents expect this to increase further in 2021.

The assessment that risks have increased is accompanied by declining trust in local governments and health authorities. One-third (31 percent) of the professionals surveyed see this as a key challenge - most clearly in North and South America (40 percent). Only for business travelers did the assessment that risks had increased reach a high level in the past (72 percent in 2016). At that time, the focus may have been on terrorist attacks in places that had previously been considered safe. In 2018, the assessment that risks had increased already received less support again (47 percent) before rising to the current level of 79 percent. "The Covid 19 pandemic has created a triple whammy: of public health, geopolitics and the economy. All three are hitting workforces and business on a global scale," said Stefan Esser, M.D., Medical Director Central Europe at International SOS. The situation is exacerbated by an infodemic in an increasingly complex world, Stefan Esser adds. Companies also need to work harder to fulfill their duty of care, he added. "Just as September 11, 2001, changed the way employers look at duty of care and security issues, the
pandemic will permanently change how employers view health threats to the workforce," Stefan Esser believes.

Covid 19 glasses put other risks in the background

The majority of professionals surveyed believe that infectious diseases (such as Covid-19, malaria, dengue fever, Ebola, Zika, etc.) will lead to a decline in employee productivity over the next year. One in three respondents expect mental health impairments to be a contributing factor as well. In fact, experts at the Workforce Resilience Council predict that mental health issues will overtake Covid-19 in the next year.

Other risks are also becoming less important for many respondents, for example, country risk ratings worldwide, road safety issues and security threats. Respondents with business travel responsibilities cited "geopolitical threats" (30 percent), "civil unrest" (25 percent) and "security threats" (32 percent) significantly less frequently than last year (52, 52 and 68 percent, respectively). "The results show that Covid-19 is very much in the foreground and other risks are taking a back seat - to a potentially business-threatening extent," says Gautier Porot, Security Director Switzerland and Italy at International SOS. "This is because the pandemic has exacerbated security issues, particularly those related to civil unrest and political protests. Similarly, crime has increased in some places, and we are only at the beginning of the socioeconomic and
psychological consequences of the Covid-19 crisis. At the same time, dealing with major threats such as natural disasters is becoming more complex as Covid-19 and ever-changing travel restrictions must be considered."

The five most important challenges for companies

Companies face various challenges in ensuring the health and safety of their employees. The survey revealed the following difficulties:

1. Sufficient resources to handle Covid-19: 54 %,
2. Access reliable and up-to-date information on health and safety issues: 40 %,
3. Educating employees about current risks: 35 %,
4. Managing mental health stresses: 33 %,
5. Communication during a crisis: 33 %.

In these five areas, organizations are required to develop appropriate strategies to ensure the best possible protection for their employees.

Source: International SOS