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International Mobility: safeguarding your employees’ health
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International mobility involves much more than just a geographical move: it exposes the company to human, legal, and organizational challenges, where health protection plays a crucial role. It conditions both the security of the employee, the continuity of their professional journey, and the employer's responsibility.
The Duty of Care: a responsibility that transcends borders.
As an employer, your responsibility is directly engaged. Article L.4121-1 of the Labor Code imposes an obligation of prevention, protection, and information for employees: this is the Duty of Care. This obligation does not stop at French borders. In case of an incident abroad - accident, illness, degraded health situation - the company must be able to demonstrate that it has anticipated risks and implemented appropriate measures to ensure the physical and mental safety of its employees. For HR managers, this involves a structured approach to international mobility, fully integrating the insurance dimension.
Why anticipate health coverage before departure?
Addressing the issue of insurance once the employee is on site exposes the company to avoidable risks. Anticipating, on the other hand:
- Optimizing costs, by mobilizing solutions adapted to the destination country and the employee's profile.
- Ensuring continuity of care, by ensuring a smooth transition between the French system and the local system, especially in addition to the CFE.
- Securing the employee experience, by limiting situations of stress related to access to care, advances in fees, or understanding of guarantees.
In a context of increasingly competitive international mobility, inadequate coverage can quickly become a factor of vulnerability, even a hindrance to attractiveness and retention of talent.
Increasingly complex international environments
Managing health internationally is now part of a more demanding environment:
- significant disparities in healthcare costs depending on the country
- heterogeneous medical systems and sometimes difficult to access
- increasing expectations of employees in terms of services and support
Employees now expect a level of protection and services equivalent, or even superior, to that which they receive in their home country. This requirement becomes a key factor in trust and engagement.
Key points to validate before departure
Some questions must be systematically asked:
- Are the guarantees aligned with the actual medical costs of the country?
- Are healthcare easily accessible, without excessive out-of-pocket expenses?
- Is there an emergency assistance system in place?
- Is the coverage in line with the employer's obligations?
To accompany this reflection, a preparation checklist allows to identify the essential elements in order to validate the most appropriate solution for each situation.
Download the international mobility checklist
Learn more about international mobility insuranceAn approach tailored to each situation
Given the diversity of international mobility situations, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The measures must be designed either as a first euro or in addition to the CFE, and tailored to the specificities of each country. An effective approach generally relies on four pillars:
- Adaptability: guarantees aligned with local realities
- Simplicity: centralized reimbursements, teleconsultation, 24/7 assistance, and dedicated digital tools.
- Expertise: access to an international network of care to limit out-of-pocket expenses.
- Peace of mind: full compliance with employer's security obligation.
Do not let the unexpected weaken your international ambitions.
In a context of increased competition to attract and retain talent, international mobility becomes a real HR lever - provided that the risks are mastered. As recently highlighted by Le Nouvel Économiste in a dossier dedicated to international mobility insurance, the latter now emerges as a strategic tool for risk management and attractiveness, at the heart of international HR policies. A topic on which Frédéric Rousseau, Deputy General Manager and Director of Social Protection at Howden France, had the opportunity to contribute alongside other market experts.
Sending an employee abroad is no longer something to be taken lightly: protection must be comprehensive, covering health, climate, geopolitical, and psychological issues.