What changes should be made, if any, to employee travel and what should be done to ensure employees living abroad are prepared for a pandemic?

Pandemics have a global effect.  To ensure the safety of your off-site and international employees, it is essential that you monitor pandemic activity and understand unique travel restrictions, closures, and quarantine policies in areas where your staff travel and operate. Unessential travel to areas with high transmission rates should be discontinued during a pandemic.  Quarantines and border closures need to be evaluated before making decisions about all business-related travel.  The starting point in ensuring the safety of employees abroad is to always know where they are and be able to communicate with them to convey health and safety information.  

The ability to assist Americans abroad may be limited by restrictions on local and international movement imposed for public health reasons by the U.S. or foreign governments. Communicating to employees abroad about how they can prepare for a pandemic, including information about stocking food, water and medical supplies and understanding their options for accessing medical care, is essential.  It is also important to examine the insurance provisions for employees abroad, as well as arrangements for repatriating them.

Note: As an overall matter, employers should be guided in their relationship with their employees by federal, state, and local employment law, and by the company-specific application of these laws as reflected in employee handbooks, manuals, and contracts (including bargaining agreements).

Not all of the employment laws referenced apply to all employers or all employees, particularly state and local government agencies. For information on whether a particular employer or employee is covered by a law, please use the links provided for more detailed information. This information is not intended for federal agencies or federal employees -- they should contact the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for guidance.

Last Reviewed: 12/19/2011

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