“Your health and safety is of utmost importance to us”: A review of research on the occupational health and safety of international employees

Guest editorial

“…Again, possibly nice ideals, but they do little to match what we know of employees' experiences of employment and the ongoing quest for decent work (Yang et al , 2019), something COVID-19 has made more obvious (Harney and Collings, 2021). Such limited understanding is reinforced by a narrow focus on the psychological aspects of well-being, to the almost complete exclusion of health-related forms of well-being in particular (De Cieri and Lazarova, 2020; Peccei and Van De Voorde, 2019). This may go some way in accounting for the “patchy” and “conflicting” empirical evidence linking HR practices to employee well-being (Lin et al , 2020, p. 312) and overall failure accurately to demarcate the nature of the relationship (Ho and Kuvaas, 2020, p. 236).…”

“…Revisiting Grant et al (2007) offers insight into the multifaceted nature of well-being and the fact that there are likely to be inherent trade-offs between the dimensions of well-being (psychological, physical and social). A recent review by De Cieri and Lazarova (2020) reinforces that HR research has focussed on sub-clinical indicators of psychological well-being that are most proximal to the interest of employers. As a consequence, there is limited attention to other dimensions, especially employees' physical safety and physiological health, or long-term health outcomes (e.g.…”

“…As a consequence, there is limited attention to other dimensions, especially employees' physical safety and physiological health, or long-term health outcomes (e.g. injury and illness) (De Cieri and Lazarova, 2020; Peccei and Van De Voorde, 2019). This neglect is also evidenced in pleas for organisations to become fearless and develop resilience founded on “psychological safety” and growth mindsets (Edmondson, 2018).…”

Why we need to know more about diversity among the globally mobile: a systematic literature review of non-traditional expatriate research and future research agenda for minority expatriates

“…Those who choose not to expatriate may include categories of NTEs such as expatriates with disabilities and pre-existing health conditions , thus meaning less diversity among the expatriate population globally. As De Cieri and Lazarova (2021) noted, there has been more discussion about health and safety concerns for global employees outside the business discipline, and I would suggest that there is much more need for business research focused on groups of global employees who may face greater health and safety risks than others. Thus, future research might examine issues around declining numbers of NTEs (or groups of NTEs) due to health conditions and implications of such for organisational diversity in international operations.…”

Risk Management: Exploring Emerging Human Resource Issues during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Their interstate/inter-site travels have created many health risks and require much effort in terms of coordination and reaction to ever-changing state border policies (Djalante et al 2020). Although the current focus of human resource management (HRM) is on managing the health and safety of employees in general (De Cieri and Lazarova 2020), the lessons learned from other issues and measures have proven valuable and will be beneficial to the postpandemic world (Adam et al 2021). This article aims to address the issue by reviewing research conducted on emerging HR issues across industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.…”