b'Virtual collaboration and other businessexplained. Employee well-being, through physical and mental self-care, and the recognition that their concerns are considered, practice evolutions will undoubtedlycontribute to success in this area.Recognizing that travel bans, quarantines and corporate clos-benefit businesses in the long term uresand the related implications for child and elder carewill impact business continuity and productivity, the panel also looked at alternative ways of working. Suggestions included virtually connecting with teams as well as encouraging leaders to use future-The panelists broke down the response into three distinct phases,focused tools and apps. Its about developing an adaptive work-all equally important: containment, stabilization and rejuvenation.force and learning what is or is not working, both for the team and Throughout each, companies need to maintain close contact withfor the individual, stressed Wright. their labour force. The most important thing as we go throughWhile coping with the COVID-19 pandemic can appear a Hercu-these different phases in different areas is maintaining high levelslean task, panel participants noted there is a silver lining. Global of engagement with staff, Wright pointed out. organizations have the opportunity to harness their best assess-ment and action skills, develop effective and adaptive policies THOROUGH ASSESSMENT and practices, and ultimately find themselves stronger exiting the To best understand the impact on people and to determine prior- pandemic than entering it. Virtual collaboration and other busi-ities, a thorough assessment of exposures and risks must first beness practice evolutions will undoubtedly benefit businesses in the undertaken, continued Wright. Based on this information, variouslong term. We wont be moving back to what was normal, purely crisis scenarios can then be developed. Along with assessments ofbecause there are going to be some better ways of working coming workforce gaps, corporations can also establish potential responsesout of this, Wright maintained.and subsequent intervention.Cryne wrapped up the presentation on a similar theme. Referen-Once impacts are identified and priorities established, companiescing the words of the late Sir Winston Churchill, the CERC presi-need to take a deeper look at all the ramifications for globaldent advised participants to never waste a good crisis.employees and their families. Since government responses are constantly changing, the situation is exceedingly complex toSlides and audio of the CERC webinar series, as well as COVID-19 resource navigate. As well, everything from flight allowances and howmaterial, are available on the CERC website at www.cerc.capermanent resident and temporary resident applications are handled, to the scope of consular support and border restric-tions, can vary from country to country, similar to transaction efficiency. While many of the immigration services can still be filed online, final processing and the ability to travel may be limited, Israel pointed out. There are also additional considerations depending on whether employees and family members choose to remain in their location or depart for new ones. Those who remain need access to health-care and schools (if children are involved). There are also concerns tied to visas or work permit status, extended stays, passport validity and insurance policy coverage. For those departing for other locales, similar considerations apply, as well as visa or work permit requirements for the next destination, transit visas, and any obligations to close out the employees departure requirements.Then there is the all-important impact on an individual employ-ees personal tax obligations. The unifying theme, according to VanStrien, is the existence of tax modifications and exemp-tions, but these too are changing every day, making it extremely important to accurately track assignees at all times. Tracking and knowing where your people are, knowing how much time they are spending temporarily out of their home country or country for which their employment is critical, as well as understanding the payment that you may be making on an exception basis, is critical, VanStrien emphasized. SAFE ENVIRONMENTOnce global employees are moved to different locations, or decide to remain in their existing one, a safe environment needs to be maintained to ensure business continuity. Workspaceswhether at home or in the officemust adhere to local regulations. The impact of increased technology through remote work practices needs to be monitored, and communication should be consistent, accurate, easily understood and globally aligned. In uncertain times, without consistent information, people make up their own information and this is going to have a big impact, Wright Summer 2020PERSPECTIVES19'