How can employers support the health and wellbeing of a global workforce during a health crisis?

Global health

Need to know:

The Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic is an unprecedented situation but international healthcare plans will already have provisions in place for such a situation.
Benefits such as employee assistance programmes and telemedicine help to support global workforces by providing 24-hour-a-day access to support and medical advice.
If evacuation is not an option due to closed borders during a pandemic, benefits providers and consultants can offer guidance on how to find the most appropriate medical facility.

The 2019/20 Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has brought a global disease outbreak on a scale of which no-one has witnessed in their lifetime. With the virus spreading across many countries, nearly every global employer has employees affected by the devastating situation.

Countries continue to operate in lockdown with employees told to work from home where possible. Many organisations have had to put employees on furlough until the pandemic has eased and some have had to cease operations altogether. But how can a multinational employer support the health and wellbeing of its workforce during a global health crisis?

Benefits communication

Part of the role of the employer is to work with its benefits providers, advisers and consultants to ensure that employees, if not already aware, are informed of the healthcare and wellbeing benefits available to them, and how they can help in a situation like this. Mark Jenkins, associate director, international health and risk solutions, at Willis Towers Watson, says that expatriate healthcare, such as private medical insurance (PMI), is a hugely valuable benefit: “Employers should be speaking to their [global] population to make sure they are aware that they can access [the benefits], and to make them aware of the portals and information services they have available. There should be no change to what’s in place due to the pandemic, this is what it is there for.”

Global employers will have communicated the breadth of cover to their workforces before any outbreak, so they know how they are supported and what they should do in this situation, says Sarah Dennis, head of international at Towergate Health and Protection. These communications would include details of any medical cover for the employee and their dependents, as well as details of who to contact for more information.

During the current pandemic having that clear point of contact has become vitally important, says Juan Peña Núñez, business development director at Healix International. “Employees themselves are looking to somebody within their organisation to act as the focal point for questions, for comfort, for reassurance, especially where the business is global,” he says. “It’s about understanding if the information is coming from a centralised hub, from a regional hub, or a local office for that particular country. It’s a case of somebody in the business taking the lead and providing a centralised solution for [frequently asked questions] FAQs, best practice on Covid-19 measures to avoid infection and spreading, and providing the business’ stance in terms of working from home.”

Global cover

Many global healthcare plans include access to an employee assistance programme (EAP), which can be a useful starting point for overseas employees. EAPS, while offering 24-hour-a-day access to counselling, provide other support from healthcare professionals that have worked abroad and understand the specific issues of working overseas, says Dennis.

Jenkins adds: “EAPs, in this sort of situation, are fantastic as a port of call to gain more information, especially related to specific territories or location that those expat individuals might be in.”

During upsetting times, especially when working from home for extended periods or if an individual has to isolate for health reasons, the 24/7 availability of an EAP can provide vital mental wellbeing support, and should be promoted as such, says Peña Núñez. “This is a very troubling time: people are losing their jobs, some are being asked to take salary cuts, and for some, the future is uncertain, so it is causing a number of people to buckle under the pressure. It’s being able to, where that exists, provide extra support and promote to the business that those tools are already there,” he says.

Telemedicine is also a vital part of a global healthcare plan enabling employees to access remote medical advice. It should be something that is widely promoted and encouraged among expatriate populations. “Telemedicine which is not a nice-to-have anymore, it’s an essential in this environment because it means [employees] can still access clinical care, [they] can still access a consultation with a clinician or a physician, but obviously without risking any exposure to any virus, or even break social distancing measures,” says Jenkins.

Evacuation measures

Not all international PMI plans will include evacuation and repatriation cover, and some will include it with certain conditions. During a pandemic where borders are closed and evacuation is not possible, insurers can then give guidance on the most appropriate medical facility, says Dennis. Evacuation and repatriation measures will be done on case-by-case basis, says Jenkins. For example, an employee with a long-term health issue, after communicating through telemedicine, may be advised that they are repatriated to a safer location, where they can still work with the organisation in a different guise, he explains.

Due to the fast-moving pace of a complex pandemic, employers must ensure that they keep up-to-date with government guidelines and public health advice to ensure the safety of their employees.