The primary factor that hinders effective management of health & safety programs across the world is the lack of participation from all stakeholders. As Willmer and Haas emphasize, managing health and safety programs requires a multidimensional and multiplayer approach (100). Unless top executives, junior employees, and state authority collaborate, managing health and safety is impossible. Incompetence, complacency, and focus on profits are some of the factors that hinder the participation of all stakeholders. Secondly, most organizations are not committed to establishing and nurturing a culture of health and safety.
Claus defines the duty of care as a legal responsibility that individuals and organizations have in mitigating or eradicating behavior or scenarios that may cause harm to others (8). The care of duty applies to both acts of omission and commission. Employees on global assignments face multiple risks related to political unrest, natural disasters, health, terrorisms, accidents, and travel-related incidents. Employers and Human Resource Departments have a moral and legal duty to ensure that employees’ health and safety are not compromised. Employers and HRs should continuously access company-specific employee risk, plan strategies, develop policies and procedures, communicate and train, and control and analyze (Claus 28). Senior executives should make reasonable decisions that safeguard employees’ well-being regardless of where the worker is on duty.
I have two takeaways on comparative HR and the future of the HR function. One, I have realized that human resource departments will need to stay abreast of compliance issues even as market dynamics change. HR will need to be agile enough in response to workforce changes and technological innovations. As new policies emerge, HR will need to be complacent. Secondly, focus on people will remain a core function of HR even in the future. Notably, embracing technological innovation should not reduce the need to be compassionate and understanding.
Works cited
Claus, Lisbeth. “Duty of care of employers for protecting international assignees, their dependents, and international business travelers.” International SOS White Paper Series. AEA International Holdings Pte. Ltd (2009).
Willmer, D. R., and E. J. Haas. “Managing health and safety risks: implications for tailoring health and safety management system practices.” Transactions of Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc 340.1 (2016): 100.