Because the Covid-19 pandemic continues garnering the lion’s share of consideration from enterprise journey managers and different key company danger administration leaders, these decisionmakers could also be affected by “Covid myopia,” inflicting them to neglect different important danger elements, a brand new examine cautions.
Worldwide SOS’s Danger Outlook 2021 report options outcomes from a survey of greater than 1,400 danger professionals in 99 nations, together with almost 920 chargeable for their group’s vacationers. Performed between Sept. 22 and Oct. 19 by Ipsos MORI, the survey revealed a widespread sentiment that general workforce danger is at a five-year excessive and will proceed to extend in 2021.
Almost eight in 10 danger professionals canvassed believed the well being and safety danger for enterprise vacationers in 2020 elevated from 2019; amongst U.S. respondents, that proportion elevated to 91 p.c of respondents. In the meantime, about half of all respondents believed workforce danger would enhance additional in 2021 ,with that outlook particularly excessive amongst Asia-based respondents at 60 p.c. The worldwide perceived danger charge for enterprise journey was the best since 2016, when 72 p.c of survey respondents indicated danger threats had risen amid a spate of terror assaults all through Europe and North America.
However perceived danger from such safety threats and comparable occasions since has light considerably towards the backdrop of the continued Covid-19 pandemic, the examine signifies. Amongst respondents who had been chargeable for enterprise vacationers, simply 30 p.c cited “geopolitical threats” as an space of concern, in contrast with 52 p.c in 2019. Charges of danger concern dropped equally 12 months over 12 months for “civil unrest” (to 25 p.c from 52 p.c) and “safety threats” (to 32 p.c from 68 p.c).
Whereas doubtless unsurprising given the devastating results Covid-19 has wrought on the worldwide company sector—together with bringing enterprise journey to a standstill for a lot of the 12 months—the dearth of consideration to these dangers is worrisome, in response to Mike Sharp, group director for safety companies at Worldwide SOS.
The survey findings revealed “a doubtlessly business-threatening stage of Covid-19 myopia,” Sharp mentioned. Safety points even have been exacerbated by the pandemic, notably in relation to civil unrest and political protest, he added.
“It is comprehensible that, to various levels, the final inhabitants and enterprise are extra targeted on utility of Covid-related precautions. Nonetheless, perennial safety and security points haven’t abated,” Sharp mentioned, including that the pandemic has made it tougher to reply to these threats in lots of circumstances.
“Responding to high-impact threats, comparable to pure disasters ,has gained one other layer of complexity on account of Covid-19 medical issues and fluid journey restrictions,” Sharp famous.
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