Duty of Care: Responsibilities in the World of Mobility

SIRVA
Relocation Services
Global Services
Duty of Care: Responsibilities in the World of Mobility

Whether your employees are heading across the country or crossing continents, Sirva has the on-the-ground international relocation services you need. From Canada to Australia and everywhere in between, we understand the nuances across each region .

We provide offerings to satisfy your unique needs, whether selling a home in the U.S., managing a cross-country household goods move, or helping employees to get settled into their new homes in Europe. Our global experience means that you can count on seamless international relocation, no matter what’s next.

Departure Services

From the initial policy consulting call through the move itself, there are a lot of moving pieces associated with employee relocation. Whether planning a domestic or international relocation, SIRVA is expertly positioned to offer the best departure services available during a relocation in every region around the world.

Destination Services

Setting your employees up for success upon arrival at their new locations will be key to successfully meeting your company’s goals. SIRVA’s global network and expansive resources allow us to you achieve your goals. Our destination services and international movers help employees and their families settle in and prosper in their new homes.

Visa and Immigration

SIRVA’s team of experienced international relocation specialists are expertly equipped to manage inbound and outbound global immigration services. With SIRVA’s Immigration team, the focus is on providing a smooth customer experience that enhances the relocation process, not just achieving a successful application.

Employee Counselling

For your employees, a single relocation professional assists with end-to-end coordination of services: a relocation consultant for domestic/intra-country moves or global assignment consultant for international relocation. These consultants are your employees’ resource for all communication and services relating to their move, and coordinate the delivery of all authorised services. Regardless of the service being delivered (temporary housing, moving services, etc.), the employee can rely on the consultant as their go-to resource to address any concerns.

VIP Services

If you are searching for an enhanced service for your employees, SIRVA offers VIP services such as personal relocation assistants, in-home cleaning services, personalised family assistance, and many other tailored and luxury enhancements.

Related Services

Interested in learning more about our global services?

We would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Email Us

In business, “duty of care” is defined as the responsibility or legal obligation of a person or organisation to avoid reasonably foreseen acts or omissions that would likely to cause harm to others. When it comes to relocation, there are a number of issues to consider regarding the safety and security of employees, but who is responsible for duty of care and what actions can companies take to minimise risk?

In the world of mobility, the onus is typically on companies to ensure that relocating employees are safe and secure in their new locations, and since every one of those locations has different geo-political and social climates, knowing the current nuances of each can be a challenging undertaking. Whether an employee moves to the other side of the country or the other side of the world, companies should maintain an awareness of where their employees are at all times. Additionally, they should consider obtaining regularly scheduled security briefings via their internal security department or an outsourced company, and consider providing their employees with:

Secure travel to the new location
Comprehensive immigration support
Proper insurance for travel and medical needs
Education regarding risks in the host location
Options for secure, safe and appropriate housing
Evacuation support, if needed, in cases of medical issues, a natural disaster or in cases of local unrest

How Relocation Management Companies Help with Duty of Care

There are several ways relocation management companies (RMCs) can help organisations to manage duty of care responsibilities, from identifying eligible neighbourhoods and securing safe residences to coordinating with internal security departments on occupancy approvals. Additionally, RMCs are strongly positioned to provide destination orientation and support, including educating employees regarding:

Locations and directions to local hospitals and urgent care centres near their new residences
Local emergency practices (norms and actions to take during tornado or typhoon alerts, the location of shelters, evacuation procedures, etc.)
Local police practices and expectations
Public transport protocols (including appropriate actions during breakdowns or emergencies)
Brown-outs and utilities challenges (helping employees understand what local events affect utility services – and how – and any common expectations of how to handle power cuts)
Additional support or maintenance that may be needed in flats or apartments, such as generators or air cleaners
Safety protocols upon arrival, including airport navigation, transport from the airport to the temporary or permanent home, etc.

RMCs also maintain accurate employee housing locations, providing reports to duty of care/security teams on a regularly scheduled basis. This can be crucial to executing fast response times during natural disasters or any area unrest that might occur unexpectedly following an employee’s relocation.

Finally, RMCs can provide cultural training to employees before, during and after a relocation to ensure that employees and their families are better prepared to assimilate into a new culture. Doing so helps individuals to understand cultural nuances, be aware of their own behaviours and biases – and those of others – and to avoid situations and behaviours that might put them in danger.

As companies continue to face significant global events, duty of care has become an equally significant responsibility. While the ultimate responsibility for managing/ensuring the safety of employees while on assignment is on the employer, working with an RMC can provide company stakeholders with an extension to their duty of care/security teams – providing them with existing, up-to-date knowledge regarding a location’s culture, geopolitical climate and any potential risks that should be considered in a given area. For more information on how SIRVA can help your company be better prepared to address duty of care, please contact us, at concierge@sirva.com.

Contributors:

Lisa Marie DeSanto | Manager, Content Marketing

For more information please see SIRVA’s Blog Disclaimer.