Global mobility and crisis management

The likelihood of a crisis resulting in emergency evacuation or repatriation has increased in recent years, due to
instability and geopolitical issues, extreme weather events and also due to expansion of organisations’ global
operations, including in developing parts of the world. As such, today more than ever it is critical to be prepared
for any type of crisis and global mobility is a key consideration. Effective risk planning and crisis management can
ensure that risks are mitigated, organisational responsibilities to staff are managed and there are arrangements to
ensure business continuity.

Fragomen is increasingly working with organisations to ensure their preparedness in the event of a crisis.

While companies are not able to anticipate every possible crisis, for Human Resources or Mobility Professionals there
are more common situations that arise in the context of expatriate and mobility management:

• Medical crises – ranging from the evacuation of one individual to a group evacuation due to a larger
  scale pandemic.
• Natural disaster crises – including floods, fire and earthquakes affecting a large number of people.
• Man-made crises – such as acts of terrorism, violence or industrial accidents.

During a crisis moving staff to alternative locations can involve complex immigration and compliance scenarios that
are often not adequately considered and covered in crisis management plans. This may involve not just medical or
security evacuations but also consideration involving relocation of operations and human resources to alternative
locations across the globe to ensure business continuity and mitigate the impacts.

LIFECYCLE OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Good crisis management involves dealing with threats before, during and after they have occurred.

STAGES OF CRISIS MANAGEMENT

• Pre-crisis - Reducing the organisation’s vulnerability through assessing and preventing risks and
  mitigating their impact, through planning and preparedness.
• During the crisis - Assessing the situation with the best available information and executing the preplanned
  response with effective communication to manage the crisis.
• Post crisis - Providing ongoing individual post-crisis support and ensuring effective organisational
  learning.

HOW CAN FRAGOMEN ASSIST?

Operating from over 40 offices in 19 countries with capabilities in more than 160 countries, Fragomen has the
knowledge at hand to provide quick and reliable advice to help organisations during all stages of crisis management.

Fragomen can assist you with crisis management as it impacts on global mobility. Our global reach and expertise
in immigration coupled with strong relationships with Government and other regional stakeholders can assist your
business by providing valuable input to enable you to effectively manage any unexpected situation involving issues of
global mobility.

As a global leader in immigration, we have in depth knowledge and up to date information to provide you with
comprehensive immigration solutions to plan for unexpected situations. During a crisis we can assist to support the
crisis management team to swiftly execute a planned response which may involve staff evacuations and the need for
ongoing support on staff mobility.

PRE- CRISIS

• Our global expertise and strong relationships with Government can help your organisation plan for unexpected
  events that may impact on staff mobility, including where evacuation or repatriation may be necessary.
• We can also assist with business continuity planning and determine options for moving critical business
  operations temporarily to alternative locations across the globe and navigating complex immigration and
  compliance requirements quickly.
• We can assist you with evacuation plans and review in partnership with specialist health and security providers to
  ensure the most appropriate policy is obtained to reduce insurance premiums.
• We can help you keep track of staff (and their family members) at a global level and advise on entry requirements
  for staff to be able to relocate to safe locations at short notice. Entry requirements can be complicated and may
  differ according to the individual’s nationality or circumstances. It is essential that these aspects are considered
  ahead of a crisis.
• We can also advise on implications for business travelers and provide specialist advisory services for identified
  individuals.
• We can provide training to Global Mobility teams to ensure organisational preparedness and robust internal
  communication strategies are in place.
• Our expertise extends to testing the effectiveness of crisis planning through Desktop Exercises (or simulated
  crises) for HR and Mobility professionals to be build confidence to deal with a crisis.
• We can also support crisis management planning by ensuring that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined,
  staff training, preparing internal protocols, registering staff in overseas locations and with health and security
  providers, liaison with Government and local authorities, and broader liaison including on travel arrangements
  and insurance protocols.

DURING THE CRISIS

• We can move quickly to help the Crisis Management Team liaise with Government and authorities to obtain
  reliable and most up to date information to support decision-making.
• Our expertise can include assistance to liaise with health and security providers and insurance companies to
  seek the best possible outcomes and to assist the organisation through partner arrangements to arrange travel
  and on the ground support in the new location.
• We can move fast to seek the appropriate visas, entry and exit permits for staff who may need to be evacuated
  quickly to escape a crisis or for medical treatment. Our team of Government Relations experts can utilise
  relationships during a crisis, and bridge any gap with health or security providers and with insurance companies,
  to help navigate in an often difficult environments.
• We can also assist to help the organisation implement its business continuity arrangements in setting up in an
  alternative location temporarily and seeking the necessary permissions to enable staff to work in the new location
  to ensure critical business operations can continue. 

AFTER A CRISIS

• Our assistance extends to post-crisis support and continuous improvement of crisis management plans.
• We are able to support staff who have been evacuated including seeking or extending visa or work permits and
  other arrangements to allow them to stay and work in the new location temporarily.

We can also assist to review the global mobility response post crisis to ensure organisational learnings are applied
and plans are updated accordingly. Our up-to-date knowledge of immigration laws and procedures also means that
we ensure your plans remain current and able to be implemented in a crisis.