Travel Risk in War Zones
USA Today does a good piece on corporate employees working in war zones around the world.
“The nature of the job takes Nelson to unsafe parts of the world. A legion of globe-trotting Americans face a similar situation, as a global economy has thrown them into the most remote regions of the world, where they’re exposed to war, natural calamity and a risk of terrorism and kidnapping — not to mention disease and petty crime.
In pursuit of new clients and suppliers, U.S. companies of all sizes and interests — ranging from Halliburton to Marriott and Starbucks— are sending more employees on hardship assignments and taking new, aggressive steps to protect them from an ever-changing range of threats. Several recent events — the murders of Western aid workers in Afghanistan, the three American hikers imprisoned in Iran, the massive flooding in Pakistan and the killing of tourists on a bus in Manila on Monday — continue to serve as stark reminders of the perils travelers face overseas.
“Most multinationals and even medium to small companies have to push into emerging markets,” says Bruce McIndoe, president of iJet, which provides global security services and intelligence reports for corporate clients.
About 10% of employees who are transferred from the U.S. are assigned to countries that are considered “dangerous or have harsh conditions of living,”
For the full story, click HERE.
