As businesses across the UK strive to regain levels of activity with the easing of restrictions, it is imperative to maintain the safety and well-being of all workers and more important than ever for employers to understand the unusual risks that they and their workforce face under unique circumstances.
While many of the Western consumer economies tentatively explore the easing of social restrictions, the global supply chain environment remains significantly disrupted and operators continue to face many challenges. International freight insurer, TT Club seeks to guide them with advice for turbulent times.
There is probably a common expectation that the supply chain operates 24/7 on pretty much a global basis. Such a commercial reality usually requires shift work and a workforce operating during unnatural hours - something that is only accentuated in our 'global village' with the requirement to provide a service across time zones.
Despite being designated as essential services in many countries, in accordance with local government and World Health Organization (WHO) guidance, many businesses within the global logistics sector have had to change their work practices. In some cases, this includes leaving premises unoccupied for an extended, indefinite period.
Effective communications are the lifeblood of every relationship, whether personal or corporate. In the global supply chain, this inevitably extends to every counterparty, including those with differing interests, cultures, languages and time zones. COVID-19 has made life exponentially more complex.
As consumer demand and manufacturing production slows in many parts of the world, cargo, either in containers or stripped from transport units, is building up in warehouses, port terminals and inland depots. International freight and logistics insurer, TT Club warns of the additional risk this is bringing operators.
Stakeholders in the international supply chain can find themselves unwittingly exposed to many types of fraud during the normal course of business. Connectedness provides fraudsters greater ease to transact and a lower risk of apprehension. The current pandemic-induced dislocation and additional logistics challenges simply increase the risks. Be alert!
