The International Corporate Health Leadership Council (ICHLC) has released eight corporate health trends paired with ten actionable items to effectively help organisations prepare and support their mobile workforce
“Significant changes have impacted the mobile workforce since the Council’s 2014 trend report,” says Professor Robert L. Quigley, MD, DPhil, Senior Vice President and Regional Medical Director, International SOS.
“A transitioning workforce in an unstable global environment has prompted many corporations to leverage technology to enhance local support for the evolving needs of their employees.
“This 2018 report highlights those trends that every organisation should be aware of as they make policies that impact their workforce for the future.”
Trends include the rise in non-communicable diseases, an increasing need for enterprise health security and focus on business continuity and an improvement in the acceptance of global health best practices in many international organisations.
They also include an evolving understanding of how mental illness impacts workers and their companies, plus a reflection of how the accelerated pace of technology is changing the mobile health space.
“Finally, they look at the importance of effective support and education on managing a diverse mobile workforce.”
Sobering statistics
Key statistics include:
- two-thirds (65%) of respondents indicated that having a “culture of health” is a priority within their organisation
- over half (52%) of respondents indicated that their organisation offers workplace diversity and inclusion education and training programs for their workforce
- only about a quarter (27%) of respondents indicated that their organisation conducts health risk assessments for their operations in high-risk regions of the world.
“By creating a culture of workplace health, companies can both demonstrate genuine care for employees and help improve business performance,” noted Richard J L Heron MB ChB FRCP FFOM FACOEM, Vice-President Health & Chief Medical Officer, BP plc.
The council recommends the following ten actions as best practice to support its trends:
- Implement and maintain health and well-being programmes globally.
- Psychological health should not only be a high priority but should be incorporated in all health and well-being programmes.
- Ensure access to medical services where local healthcare gaps exist.
- Implement programmes that manage work related accidents, exposures, and illnesses globally.
- Organisations should have robust systems and health programmes that fulfill their duty of care obligations to protect mobile employees.
- Assess and manage site health risks, and ensure compliance with local health regulations.
- Organisations should have access to corporate medical resources 24/7.
- Develop and maintain enterprise business continuity and public health preparedness plans and resources to monitor and mitigate against health and security threats.
- Use technology to target and monitor programmes that improve employee well-being and health.
- Health agenda should be defined in well communicated policies.
The 2018 trends, based on a survey of 344 individuals from global organisations, are updated from the council’s 2014 report to reflect changing advances in the health, travel and technology landscape and capture the council’s expanding understanding of corporate mobile health.
The new report, with an eye on the future, assesses current literature and reviews corporate polling results to provide management teams with recommendations to best protect and support an organisation’s mobile workforce.
In addition to the survey, the council, reviewed recent literature, and canvassed leading experts to document what they believe to be the most relevant global health threats and trends for 2018 and beyond.
For more information about the 2018 International Corporate Health Trends, and to read the full report, click here.
The International Corporate Health Leadership Council (ICHLC) is a non-profit foundation whose objective is to drive standards and policies that result in reducing risk and improving delivery of healthcare to international business travelers, expatriates (and their families) and employees (in emerging markets) wherever they may live or work.
To learn more about ICHLC, go to www.ichlc.org.
