Half of employers believe they lack resources to manage COVID-19

Fifty-four percent of global employers say they do not have “adequate” resources to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic when it comes to ensuring the health and safety of workers, according to a risk outlook report released Wednesday by London-based health and security services consulting firm International SOS.

 

The outlook, revealing findings of a survey of 1,400 risk professionals in 99 countries, found that workforce risk is perceived to be at a five-year high and is expected to increase in 2021, with a “majority” of risk professionals noting that infectious disease will cause a decrease in employee productivity in the next year.

 

The survey also revealed that 33% of employers are anticipating mental health issues to contribute to productivity issues, with International SOS’s Workforce Resilience Council predicting that mental health issues will overtake COVID-19 concerns in the upcoming year.

 

Of other operational challenges, 40% of those surveyed said they lacked access to accurate and timely information on healthy and security threats, 35% said educating employees about risks is a concern, and 33% said that communications “during a crisis” was an issue.

 

More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.