Should my relocating employees be worried about Zika?

Travelling employees and companies have understandably been concerned about recent news of the Zika virus outbreaks across parts of North, Central, and South America. The virus itself is not new, as prior to 2015, it was seen in areas of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. While the concern is understandable, your business travelers and relocating employees can take practical steps to understand and reduce the risks to themselves and their families.

Understanding the risks

Zika is primarily spread by infected mosquitoes and there is also a risk of infection via sexual transmission. Evidence suggests that women who are pregnant or planning to conceive are at particular risk with the virus leading to birth defects.

As a result, there has been some suggestion that pregnant women should postpone any non-essential travel to areas where Zika outbreaks are ongoing, but this isn’t always practical for employees and their family.  In these cases, providing the most up-to-date advice on prevention is a viable alternative. Similar to the advice for malaria prevention, pregnant women should avoid areas with standing water where mosquitoes are known to breed and congregate and take necessary precautions such as wearing insect repellents and protective clothing.

The impact on mobility programs

While discussing Zika with clients, many report that they are taking a practical, advice-based approach and directing their employees to information from recognized sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) about avoiding standing water and using repellent. Many companies do have employees moving into or out of affected areas, but despite the uncertainty surrounding the disease and its effects, many do not anticipate the situation having any kind of cost impact and their policies have remained largely unchanged. Current best practice appears to range from information sharing to more formal in-person briefings as well as checking employees' travel plans.

It is also worth noting that cases of the virus have largely been seen in areas with lesser sanitation infrastructure, away from the areas where expats are usually living, except for those involved in charitable or humanitarian causes.  This may, to some extent, explain why companies have refrained from making any major policy changes.

Considering your organization’s duty of care

Your company’s legal obligation to protect your employees’ health and wellbeing is, of course, exactly the same wherever in the world they are employed, but this responsibility may feel as if it has been brought into sharp focus by situations such as the Zika epidemic.  It is worth considering the level of international medical coverage, both long term and short term, provided as part of your benefits package and whether it this should include additional health check-ups for employees in affected areas.

While there is no vaccination currently available for Zika, Human Resources personnel may also wish to check that employees and their accompanying families are up to date with their vaccines and know where and how to obtain medical advice if they feel they need it.

Have a plan

If an outbreak did occur in an area where your business is operating, does your organization have emergency and contingency work plans in place to move your employees away from the risk?

While there are still so many unknowns about the long term implications of the virus, ultimately it’s important that you benchmark your approach and overall program against industry best practice while working with your relocation provider to protect your workforce for the long term.