After COVID-19, mental health issues have been the biggest employee productivity disruptor in 2021. This is the first time this has entered the top 3 in the past six years. And this trend is set to continue in 2022, according to our respondents. Natural disasters (including extreme weather events), is the third most likely disruptor predicted in 2022. Which correlates to concerns about climate change and its impact on business. Followed by the perennial concerns about transport, security threats & civil unrest – all exacerbated by COVID-19.
WORKFORCE RISK PERCEPTION HAS FURTHER INCREASED IN 2021
TOP FIVE EXPECTED CAUSES OF EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY DECREASES IN 2022
AN EVOLVED TRIO OF HEALTH & SECURITY COMPLEXITY IS INCREASING WORKLOAD & costs:
Adequate resources to deal with COVID-19 and the ability to define vaccine and testing policies are the biggest challenges for organisations at present. Around a fifth also cite motivating and educating employees about risk prevention as a key concern.
TOP FIVE OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES FOR ORGANISATIONS IN 2022
100%
0%
Covid-19 (67%)
Mental health issues (36%)
Natural disasters incl. extreme weather (21%)
Transport concerns (19%)
Security threats, civil unrest & country risk rating (each at 16%)
50%
Decision-making speeds have got faster during the pandemic. With HR experiencing the best improvement.
Since the pandemic, 70% of organisations say that their decision-making speeds have got faster.
HR have benefited more than any other department (78% say decision making is faster).
70%
78%
What will the ‘new normal’ look like?
Just 15% working only at their organisation’s office or site
per week working from home
2 Days
77% of organisations have adopted a hybrid working approach
3 Days
per week working at a site or office
WHAT ARE ORGANISATIONS DOING IN ORDER TO SUPPORT A SAFE RETURN TO NORMAL?
Top 3 support methods
Ability to communicate in a crisis unifies all employee types. But location-specific health & security information are priorities for business travel.
Vaccine assessments being most commonly added to assist in office working.
EMPLOYEES ARE MORE WILLING TO TRAVEL FOR BUSINESS THAN WORK FROM THEIR ORGANISATION’S OFFICE OR SITE
Meeting friends at home Meeting family at home Visiting a healthcare facility Going to the gym Going shopping Going to a restaurant or bar, etc. Holiday in your own country Going on holiday abroad
FIVE PREDICTIONS FOR 2022
1
2
3
4
5
COVID-19, Long COVID, & mental health will be primary employee productivity disruptors in 2022: escalating absenteeism and continuity issues
The infodemic will continue to exacerbate the complex nature of protecting people, while Duty of Care obligations are reshaped by new health & safety measures, employee expectations, & regulatory compliance
Pandemic-disrupted activities will reach an increased degree of stability by 2023, as organisations utilise integrated health & security risk management as a competitive advantage: supporting employee retention, and willingness to return to activities incl. business travel
Organisations risk being caught off-guard by rapidly changing security environments, as civil disorder and geopolitical volatility will rise above pre-pandemic levels
Climate change will increase the frequency and impact of climate-sensitive hazards, such as infectious diseases, extreme weather events, and socioeconomic tensions
C-Suite & Board
Business Resillience
Risk
Operations
Security
HR
HSE
HR and HSE are most likely to have joined a Crisis Management Team for the first time during the pandemic
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HR and HSE have also experienced the largest responsibility increases
Health & safety measures
Regulatory compliance
Employee expectations
Crisis Management Team
working from home
89%
79%
75%
73%
72%
71%
68%
67%
66%
65%
54%
48%
47%
meeting family at home
going on holiday in your own country
domestic business travel
going to a restaurant or bar
going shopping (excl. online)
working at site
meeting friends at home
working in the office
going to the gym
international business travel
international assignments
GOING ON HOLIDAY ABROAD
visiting a healthcare facility
Europe (incl. russia) (65%)
Americas (incl. usa) (70%)
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND (75%)
global (67%)
ASIA (65%)
% say travel risks have increased in 2021
2016
2017
2018
2020
2019
2021
reveal new order
business travel
Office working
HOME WORKING
SITE WORKING
view all
35%
10%
9%
3%
1%
27%
11%
15%
6%
8%
20%
26%
2%
21%
17%
18%
5%
% of respondents
already returned to normal
3 months
6 months
12 months
2 years
3 years
3 + years
Jan 2021
Feb 2021
Mar 2021
Apr 2021
May 2021
Jun 2021
Sep 2021
International SOS client trip volumes are growing 10% each month and domestic buisness travel has seen a seven-fold increase since the start of the pandemic (International SOS Tracker)
ORGANISATIONS ARE HOPEFUL THAT OFFICE WORKING & TRAVEL WILL REACH ‘NEW NORMAL’ BEFORE 2023
INTERNATIONAL & DOMESTIC BUSINESS TRAVEL IS GROWING
67% increase
in-country working
69% increase
assigneEs
remote workers
66% increase
students & faculty
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40%
63%
51%
Responsible for: In-country employees Assignees Remote workers Business travellers Students and faculty
Research Pillars
senior risk decision-makers
Workforce Resilience Council Views Business Resilience Trends Survey (1,000 participants) COVID-19 Impact Scales Location Medical & Security Risk Ratings On-the-ground Health & Security Intelligence Network
c.1,000
75
countries
Working from home Working at site Working in the office Domestic business travel International business travel International assignments
home working
office working
site working
(WHERE ’NORMAL’ IS EITHER HOW IT WAS pre-pandemic OR HOW IT WILL BE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE)
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work
Personal life
Meeting family at home Holiday in your own country Visiting a healthcare facility Going to a restaurant or bar, etc. Going shopping Meeting friends at home Going to the gym Going on Holiday abroad
Working from home Travelling on business Domestic Working at site Working in the office Travelling on business Overseas International assignments
Hide new order
Having adequate resources to deal with covid-19
defining covid-19 vaccine & testing policies
dealing with mental health issues
motivating employees to avoid risks
educating employees about risks
human resources
health, safety & environment
security
operations
risk management
60%
32%
31%
30%
49%
16%
33%
25%
TWO THIRDS
HOWEVER, ORGANISATIONS ANTICIPATE FURTHER INCREASES OR SIMILAR RISK LEVELS IN 2022
Anticipate risks to increase or 'stay the same'
Increase
29%
Stay the same
37%
36%
42%
34%
39%
assignees
International Trip Count
RISK OUTLOOK 2022
Asia (36%) Europe (26%) Americas (24%) Australia & New Zealand (8%) Africa & Middle East (5%)
International SOS Risk Map
In this 2022 edition of Risk Map, International SOS is providing the underlying health and security risk ratings for each location. While the medical risk ratings reflect in part the general status of healthcare systems; local COVID-19 outbreaks and subsequent local responses may dynamically impact access. Therefore these should be reviewed in parallel with the COVID-19 Impact Scales , the COVID-19 current case status, and our medical and security alerts. Together, the medical & security risk ratings and COVID-19 impact scales provide a holistic view of the risks and COVID-19 impact in each location. Read more about our definitions
Increase in risk experienced by those supporting:
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Learn more at our events
Jul 2021
Aug 2021
65% anticipate increases to their team’s workload to increase in 2022, with 62% saying costs have also increased.
Three quarters (76%) say they have increased their physical and/or mental health support levels.
More than half (56%) have increased both physical and mental health support. Of which, a third plan a 50/50 investment in physical and mental health support in 2022.
Ability to locate our workforce during critical events
Ability to communicate with our workforce during critical events
Access to emotional support services
Pre activity COVID-19 vaccine assessments
43%
Access to location-specific health information
Access to location-specific security information
Five Predictions
Organisations intend to increase spending on both physical & mental health support in 2022
19%
Top causes of increased complexity:
58%
41%
% say it is a main driver of increased complexity
% say their employees are willing to do activity
Read more
Mental health & COVID-19 will be primary employee productivity disruptors for the second year in a row, escalating absenteeism and continuity issues
Preventative complexity will be driven by an evolved Duty of Care trio: new health & safety measures, employee expectations, & regulatory compliance
All employee activities will reach a ‘new normal’ by end of 2022, as hybrid working and travel methods stabilise
Crisis comms, and location-specific information abilities will be the top initiatives for ensuring the safe ‘return to normal’ for all employee types
Organisation’s will utilise employee health & safety benefits to increase employee willingness to return to offices and sites
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prediction one
COVID-19, Long COVID, & mental health, will be primary employee productivity disruptors in 2022: escalating absenteeism and continuity issues
International SOS recommendations – mental health:
reccomendation
Covid-19
Mental health issues
Top expected causes of employee productivity decreases in 2022
Top operational challenges for organisations in 2022
1 – Having adequate resources to deal with COVID-19
2 – Defining COVID-19 vaccine & testing policies
3 – Dealing with mental health issues
Three quarters (76%) say thet have increased their physical and/or mental health support
More than half have invested in supporting both. With more than a third decalring a 50/50 split in investment.
• Advisory on holistic wellness strategies and programmes to address mental, emotional health and other non-communicable diseases across the organisation.
• Organisation and personal risk assessment tools and advice on to create a culture of optimal health, and to drive key aspects of your employee resilience programmes.
• Digital coaching, mentoring and education solutions to raise workforce awareness, and equip managers with tools for protect employees.
Workforce Resilience Council:
“Forward-looking organisations need to take more of a preventative approach in dealing with employee mental wellbeing by focusing less on the low hanging fruit of mindfulness and yoga, and more on how they can actually change the design of people's jobs so that they can be sustainably healthy.”
Director and Occupational Psychologist Birkbeck, University of London and Affinity Health at Work
Rachel Lewis
Chief Revenue Officer Workplace Options
Board Member
“Organizational leaders and senior management can benefit from continuous education, briefings and targeted metrics to identify early signs of mental health concerns amongst their teams/workforce. They need to ensure that employees and their dependents are provided with holistic and comprehensive wellbeing programmes that address their mental, physical and practical support needs. These programmes need to be free, vetted and provided on an on-going basis with 24/7 access to sustain the mental health needs of evolving workforces.”
Group Safety Manager Mott MacDonald
Laura Hague
“Staff use our EAP service most commonly for help with dealing with the pressure of their working environment, changes to ways of working, and sleep disruption. Our support and agile working can support positive work-life balance and improve employee wellbeing.”
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prediction two
76%
50% +
Three quarters (76%) say they have increased their physical and/or mental health support.
More than half have invested in supporting both. With a third declaring 50/50 split in investment.
Partner, Employment & Incentives, Linklaters
Sinead Casey
"Most employers are cautious of asking for vaccination statuses of employees and processing, particularly within Europe. It is very important for organisations to keep up to speed with the latest COVID-19 legislation and information to build trust and act as a point of reference for employees."
International SOS recommendations – Infodemic:
• A dedicated online resource for you and your people to access timely and accurate information to support business continuity.
• Advisors to help you improve your ability to monitor, interrogate and corroborate intelligence – and to quickly understand what this means for your organisation.
• COVID-19 testing, vaccines policies and procedures.
AN EVOLVED TRIO TRIO OF HEALTH & SECURITY COMPLEXITY IS INCREASING WORKLOAD & costs:
International SOS recommendations – Compliance & legislation:
• Blind spots remain on regulation and legislation. Measures are still evolving and there is a lack of consistency across many national jurisdictions. However, 2021 has started to bring clarity, both through regulation and via litigation. Singular court cases can and will define the future.
Director, ICAO Liaison International Business Aviation Council
Captain Andreas Meyer
“Organisations need to be able to communicate with external stakeholders with confidence, vision, and trust. Being able to control miscommunication and misinformation is critical to successful crisis management.”
Head of Export Promotion, member of the Executive Committee Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE)
Martina Gmür
"Thanks to International SOS, we do have the right information and more importantly we have up to date information."
Managing Director, CAPA - Centre for Aviation
Derek Sadubin
"Uncertain times create negative workplace outcomes. Regular, consistent, company-wide communication is vital."
prediction THREE
Pandemic-disrupted activities will reach a degree of stability by 2023, as organisations utilise health & security risk management as a competitive advantage: supporting employee retention, and willingness to return to activities incl. business travel
per week
Deputy Global Head of Corporate Real Estate Services Capgemini
Venkat Neelakantan
“Many employees do not have the right level of infrastructure to support their work from home requirements. Our employee assistance program has evolved to cater for and prioritise the evolving needs of our workforce.”
International SOS recommendations:
In 2022 we are facing a layered threat environment. Entering the third year of the pandemic, while COVID-19 and the fallout from lockdowns continue to be major disruptors, other risks are coming back to the fore as travel resumes. With many experts predicting 2022 will be the year of the ‘great resignation’ organisations must act to ensure they provide the necessary support for employees. Investing in both emotional health and physical wellness support will be essential for employee retention. This will also help to avoid a vicious cycle of productivity issues. With many governments and healthcare systems under increased strain, proactive organisations can lead the way. Those that can best help employees navigate changing working environments, will be rewarded with increased employee resilience, loyalty and productivity.
Learn more about Return to Travel
Head of Market Communications and PR CWT
Julian Walker
“The need for real time data and location monitoring has escalated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Organisations need to ensure a greater focus on mandating the booking of travel through the correct channels, in line with their company’s policies.”
President Association of Swiss Travel Management (ASTM)
Dominic Short
“It’s complicated to deal with such a complexity and it’s important for companies to rely on experts”
Bereichsleiterin Personalfürsorge und Arbeitssicherheit Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes
Anke Brinkmann
“Leaders must communicate now more than ever with their employees about the purpose, mission, and organisational values in an increasingly virtual working environment. Empathy and openness need to be central to the company’s culture as this will promote stronger collaboration amongst teams, lower stress, and greater employee morale.”
President, BELRIM - Belgian Risk Management Association
Gaetan Lefèvre
“We share the vision that 2022 will be a year of transition, so that in 2023 operations will return to normal. We can see this with business travel, which is starting to resume timidly. But even if we have digital tools to carry out meetings and events, there is a real desire and need to meet, whether clients or suppliers, in order to create a personalized and longterm relation. However, even if we imagine a return to normal, this does not mean that everything will go back to the way it was before. The new way of working needs to be embraced as it is a real advantage in attracting and retaining talents. Offering a hybrid way of working, a work-life balance... these are enhanced indicators that must be taken into account as a competitive advantage. There will therefore be a "before" and an "after" COVID-19, with a willingness to maintain new habits that have been reinforced by the crisis.”
CEO, Australia-Africa Minerals & Energy Group
William Witham
“There will be ‘the Great Resignation’ in 2022. So, hiring of new employees will be paramount and enticing them won’t be easy if there is an element of risk.”
CEO, Australia- Africa Minerals & Energy Group
prediction Four
Home working
INTERNATIONAL business travel
DOMESTIC BUSINESS TRAVEL
NATURAL DISASTERS ICL. EXTREME WEATHER
TRANSPORT CONCERNS
SECURITY THREATS, CIVIL UNREST & COUNTRY RISK RATING (JOINT)
Managing Director Netherlands Association for Travel Management (NATM)
Odete Pimenta da Silva
“The collaboration between Travel and HR has intensified over the pandemic which is positive for a) the safety of people and b) business continuity.”
• At a time when the distinction between opinion and fact is often blurred, obtaining timely, apolitical, verifiable and actionable information has never been more valuable to organisations to inform strategic and tactical decisions and to ensure the business continuity. • A key part of access to analysed and assessed information is using this to build an organisation specific picture of the types of domestic and international threats and risks that would necessitate an organisational response, and then putting the plans in place to manage that response. The pandemic has brought business continuity planning to the fore and the flexible approach adopted by many companies in 2021 will need to be retained and developed, as they analyse the dynamic threat environment and build actionable plans to enable their business to thrive in the uncertainty and be prepared to respond nimbly when the situation necessitates.
Director Global Insurance, Arcadis President, NARIM
Adri van der Waart
“Business continuity is the biggest risk for 2022 – in our business, cyber security is a big threat, in other industries it will be supply chain issues and COVID-19. For example, due to a lack of knowledge transfer when people fall sick.”
“Another topic that must be include in risks management should be the cyber one. Indeed we are using so many tools we depend on that the technological risk is real to protect operations. We could also put this together with civil troubles or geopolitical volatility as malicious acts and cyber-attacks can also impact more widely social stability, depending on the information spread.”
“Another topic that must be include in risks management should be the cyber one. Indeed we are using so many tools we depend on that the technological risk is real to protect operations. We could also put this together with civil troubles orgeopolitical volatility as malicious acts and cyber-attacks can also impact more widely social stability, depending on the information spread.”
intl.sos & wfr council opinions
The New Order of employee willingness
HR and HSE seeing themselves join a Crisis Mgmt Team for the first time
Executive Director, Global Compact Network Australia
Kylie Porter
"All of the risks intersect. Climate change increases the risk of zoonotic diseases, it causes anxiety and mental health issues (the fear of the outcome on unmitigated climate change and the consequences of natural disasters), COVID leads to so many complexities in economic and mental health issues. They all intersect."
prediction Five
International SOS recommendations – extreme weather events:
Organisations with the most robust early warning systems and clear decision points will be the most resilient:
• Devise collection plans with your priority intelligence requirements – what are the key threats to your staff or sites and how will you obtain information about them using online and offline sources? • Link your response to pre-determined events on the ground: these are ‘decision points’ about how to deploy (or not to deploy) resources. • Consider the alerting system – up and down – how will you communicate decisions to staff in the field, and how will they report upwards in a crisis? • Develop flexible templated response protocols so that initial actions can be carried out as a drill.
