SARS Impact On Employee Mobility: Companies Postpone International Assignments, Still Evaluating Risks
(April 14, 2003)

Most companies with employees relocating to SARS-affected areas intend to delay those departures while the medical community continues to assess the disease and identify treatment strategies, says the Employee Relocation Council (ERC).

About two-thirds of the 112 companies who responded to ERC’s SARS survey noted that they currently have expatriates in SARS-affected locations, and, at this point, most have no plans to evacuate employees out of the area. However, a third of expatriates remaining at their posts are sending their families out of the area, and in half of these cases, the company will foot the bill. An additional 24 percent of companies will not absorb the costs of removing the family from SARS-affected locations with the remaining 24 percent indicating that they are as yet undecided. Other survey findings:

• Regarding business travel, just over half of the responding companies are allowing only "essential travel" to SARS-affected areas, 27 percent have halted all travel to those areas, and 20 percent have imposed no restrictions.

• Of the 27 percent who are currently relocating employees to SARS-affected areas, two-thirds will delay those relocations as risk assessment continues.

ERC’s Executive Vice President Cris Collie noted that the SARS virus has added a complication to a troubled global environment. "General security concerns and the continued war efforts in Iraq are already posing many challenges to companies with employees on assignment or getting ready to depart for one. Workforce mobility professionals are busy evaluating the risk of the SARS virus and determining a reasonable course of action." ERC, as an organization, also had to make some decisions prompted by the SARS virus, Collie said. "The Global Workforce Summit which we co-host with the International Herald Tribune was scheduled for June 25 and 26 in Singapore this summer," he said. "After careful consideration of various health alerts and remaining mindful of the short time frame before us, we arranged to change the dates of the Summit to March 2 and 3, 2004. Our global partners have been most supportive of this change, and like us, are looking forward to a healthy and successful Summit in 2004."

Return to News and Events