International SOS and Workplace Options Offer World's First Emotional Support Service for the Mobile Workforce

As mental health in the workplace rises on the corporate agenda, it is increasingly important for organisations to consider the well-being of their mobile workforce. Accounting for over 38% of the total global workforce, pressures can be particularly acute on individuals on both short and long term assignments. In the UK alone, 11.5m working days were lost due to work related stress, depression or anxiety in 2015/16 and accounted for 37% of all work related ill health cases and 45% of all working days lost.

In response to this growing need, International SOS, the world’s leading medical and travel security risk services company, has partnered with Workplace Options (WPO), to provide a seamless service of rapid response psychological support where it is needed, alongside its health and security advice and on the ground support prior to and during a business trip or expatriation. The global short term counselling service is also extended to managers, local employees and families and can be provided in over 60 languages.



Neil Nerwich, Group Medical Director of Assistance at International SOS comments, ‘Whether caught in a security incident, working off-shore for weeks, or the pressure of heightened travel and security risks, the stresses on a mobile workforce can be great and varied. To fully support our clients and their mobile workforce, we recognised the importance of being able to provide seamless access to emotional and mental wellbeing support, alongside our health and security risk management expertise. By partnering with WPO to offer a global programme, we are now able to quickly provide appropriate counselling which can support the traveller and manager when needed, and prevent longer term effects.’



Dean Debnam, CEO, Workplace Options comments, ‘Rapid response psychological support is proven to decrease the potential psychological impact and improve recovery times, whether following on from a traumatic incident or a quick response to everyday stress. Providing a mobile worker, or impacted individual, with a smooth transition into counseling support will ensure the fastest possible assessment and treatment. All clinical calls begin with an assessment, which determines appropriate intervention, and therapy concentrates on helping individuals identify the skills, strengths and resources that are already present and moves them towards a solution.”



The counselling method is tailored to a mobile workforce: phone, videocall or face to face with support in over 60 languages. The assessment covers the presenting issue, supporting problems, support systems, coping strategies, background information, and a risk assessment and the outcome is a plan that covers the short-term focus including goals agreed upon with the participant.



Emotional Support provides the following benefits:



Stress impacts Business Continuity

Exposure to new environments, minor medical conditions or simply being too far from loved ones can impact your mobile workforce. These events trigger stress and anxiety. This can lead to distraction, business disruption or even something more serious.



Peace of Mind

In times of stress or anxiety, your workforce needs professional emotional support often and at short notice, and in their native language. Timely support can make the difference between controlling a situation and an event becoming out of control. Easy access to services through a single point of contact helps your people make the right decisions at a critical time.



Wellbeing – Wherever, Whenever

Our short term counselling support services assist your people with the psychological issues, whenever, wherever. Your mobile workforce may have their medical, safety and emotional needs addressed by a single incident manager, in a holistic way via a single assistance number.