Author Archive - John Proctor

John Proctor is one of the leading experts in human risk and travel risk management in Canada and is recognized internationally in this capacity. He has been responsible for the development of all of the federal captivity survival programs currently in use in Canada today and has helped several other countries with their own systems. Read more

What HR professionals need to know about ‘kidnap and ransom’ insurance

October 18, 2011 John Proctor Health and Safety, Human Resources, Privacy and Security

Organizations that send employees to destinations with a high risk of kidnapping should seriously contemplate kidnap and ransom (K&R) insurance. K&R insurance protects individuals and corporations, typically covering kidnapping, extortion, wrongful detention and hijacking. K&R policies may also indemnify personal accident losses caused by kidnapping, and will generally cover the fees and expenses of crisis management consultants.

crisis management, employment law, extortion, hijacking, hostage, insurance, kidnap & ransom insurance, kidnapping, post-captivity support, risk management, wrongful detention

Assessment of human resources: An organization’s most valuable assets

September 20, 2011 John Proctor Employee Relations, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring

How does an organization identify the best person for the job when filling a position? Companies generally follow a defined process for recruiting, hiring and promoting. They have a job description and certain criterion they are looking for. Whatever the process may be, it needs to be robust and legally defensible. The best method for achieving this is to use a formal assessment centre.

assessment centre, Assessment of human resources, effective hiring process, employment law, hiring and promoting, HR, International Congress on Assessment Centre Methods, job description, maximizing workforce competence, minimizing legal liability, productivity, recruiting, selection process

After the Chilean mine disaster – How HR got it wrong

August 16, 2011 John Proctor Health and Safety, Human Resources

The first anniversary of the Chilean mine disaster is an opportune time to take a closer look at the key aspects of managing human resources, and how we can avoid some of the mistakes that were made during the Chile mine incident.

Chile mine incident, disaster, Employer liability, hostage victims, liability, managing human resources, workplace

The importance of conducting risk assessments for human resources

July 19, 2011 John Proctor Health and Safety, Human Resources

When an organization gives one of their human resources a task, how often is a risk assessment done? The answer is: it depends. When firefighters are asked to enter a burning building, the person in charge first assesses the risk to his people. When the engineers at the Japanese nuclear plant had to re-enter the facility to prevent a meltdown, a risk assessment was also completed before that. However, when most organizations fly their sales guy to South Africa, or get the young clerk at the gas station to close up the shop at night, rarely do they consider all the risks.

audit, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, car accident, CCOHS, disease, employment law, environmental health concerns, Harmonized TRA Methodology, HR, ISO 31000, IT security, job safety, Job Safety Analysis Made Simple, management, natural disasters, political risks, risk assessments, risk tolerance, terrorism, travel risk management, violence in the workplace, workplace, workplace violence

Organizations not prepared for worst case scenario risk being sued

June 21, 2011 John Proctor Health and Safety, Human Resources, Training and Development

A recent Reuters article entitled “Darfur kidnapping victim sues aids group that sent her” addresses an American lawsuit that has sparked a worldwide interest in the kidnapping industry. 2008 alone, Canada had five hostages taken in five months. A Canadian Government study assesses that terrorist groups will continue to attempt to kidnap Westerners, including Canadians, and that the greatest threat is to tourists, aid workers, journalists, business people and diplomats.

aid workers, business travellers, degree of risk, Department of Foreign Affairs, diplomats, higher probability of being kidnapped, journalists, kidnapping, Kidnapping is a booming global business, legal obligation to train and educate, mitigate the risk of international travel, response policy, Reuters, risk analysis, risk assessment, risks of working abroad, The Global Peace Index, tourists, travel risk warnings

Duty of care and sending employees abroad: How much do organizations need to care?

May 17, 2011 John Proctor Corporate Immigration, Health and Safety

More and more organizations are asking the question: “What are the responsibilities associated with managing a travelling workforce?” This question has been increasingly relevant as of late, with a number of Canadian companies taking notice of the recent events in Egypt, Libya, and Japan.

business travel, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, Canadian Department of Justice, Conduct risk assessments, criminal code, directing the work of others, Duty of care, employment law, ensure the safety of workers, health and safety management, health and safety system, high risk destinations, managing a travelling workforce, provide training for employees travelling, provincial health and safety regulations, reasonable standard of duty of care, sending employees abroad, travel risk analysis