New online international location reports keep HR professionals in the picture

Citation

(2000), "New online international location reports keep HR professionals in the picture", European Business Review, Vol. 12 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr.2000.05412cab.005

New online international location reports keep HR professionals in the picture

Keywords Currency, Health care, HR managers

Companies sending employees to work overseas will soon be able to take advantage of online information which will give them a finger on the pulse of developments in key locations around the world. The new service will be available through CIGNA International, one of the world's leading international health insurers, as part of its International Employee Healthcare Plan.

CIGNA customers will receive access to the Pinkerton online Eye on Travel Internet site, which provides companies with valuable information about the environment into which they are sending key staff - from day to day information such as climate and currency, through to the political status. The combination of international health care benefits with worldwide intelligence is the result of a partnership between CIGNA International and renowned intelligence company, Pinkerton.

As well as giving standard information on visas and inoculation requirements, the Pinkerton online site will include a summary of the local health care facilities, the local climate, and other business-specific information, such as which areas should be avoided and any driving restrictions.

Terrorism, political unrest and violent crime are factors which companies increasingly have to take into account when posting employees overseas and the Pinkerton daily risk assessments monitor the most significant incidents and other key developments as they happen, by region and country.

The new services will enable human resources professionals and other senior managers to stay up to date with situations as they emerge and take the decisions and actions necessary to manage any risk to their employees, and their business.

Jessica Hanslip, CIGNA's director of international employee benefits says:

We became conscious of just how much more volatile and dangerous the international environment has become since we launched our International Healthcare Plan in 1994. With so many of our clients operating on a global basis, we believe there is a real need for information which complements healthcare provision and manages risk as effectively as possible.

The launch of CIGNA's new intelligence service has been eagerly awaited by CIGNA's customers. Fergus Corcoran, head of corporate security for Marks & Spencer, says:

This new facility from CIGNA will help us enormously with our initial planning, and to have access on-line is something we really value. It will provide a most useful back-up to our existing resources and help us keep on top of potentially rapid and far-reaching changes, whichever country is concerned, so that we can act quickly but be confident that our decisions are based on the very latest information.

For more information contact: Lynda Hardy Maskell, CIGNA Healthcare & Group Life, Tel: +44 (0) l71 200 2019; E-mail: lynda.hardymaskell@cigna.com