With offices in locations such as Hong Kong, New York and Singapore, it is not surprising that overseas assignments are high on the agenda of the benefits team at business-to-business publisher, Incisive Media.
Although it is essential to look after employees’ health and wellbeing wherever they are, international medical insurance is expensive, so it is also a matter of balance.
Emma Cutbill, benefits manager at Incisive Media, says: “It does depend on the contract but, where an employee is taking up an overseas post, they would be transferred onto a local contract of employment and receive the same benefits package as other employees in that country. This helps to keep the cost down but also ensures they have benefits relevant to their location.”
For example, in Hong Kong and New York, where no state healthcare is available, medical insurance is included in the employee benefits package. This is fully covered in Hong Kong but, in line with other US employees, staff in New York pay 25% of the cost of the insurance.
As well as permanent overseas positions, shorter secondments are also common, particularly for employees involved in conferences for just a few months. “For these shorter trips, we can include them on our travel insurance, so they are covered in an emergency,” says Cutbill.
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