When employees work in regions where there are wars or armed conflicts — as there are in some parts of the world now — what should businesses do if a worker refuses to remain in or travel to the areas out of fear for their safety or psychological health?
Businesses that have people in war-torn areas could be defense contractors, humanitarian outfits, airlines, construction companies, banks, linguists, or oil companies, to name a few. Employees may be staff who live in the region and already have roots there, or international staff assigned to work there temporarily.
An employer’s response to a worker who wants to leave a war-torn area, or refuses to travel there, depends in large part on the worker’s job role, the urgency of that role, the nature of the business, and any extenuating circumstances — such as pregnancy or disability — that may protect workers from repercussions should they refuse war-zone assignments.
Employees on business trips or expat assignments in a country where conflict breaks out are frequently evacuated by their employers, said Donald Dowling, an attorney with Littler in New York City.
“Canceling business trips and expat assignments into places where conflict has broken out happens all the time,” he said. “Evacuating business travelers and expats from zones that have suddenly become dangerous happens all the time, too. There are even specialist evacuation services providers.”
On the other hand, he said, local...
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