With some countries across the world are grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, UAE companies are expected to introduce temporary travel protocols for employees. According to employment experts, these rules will cover annual leaves, testing and quarantine measures for employees in the UAE. Significantly, a number of organisations have already issued strict safety restrictions at their workplaces as employees continue to travel overseas.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Vineet Mehra, director of sales at global HR solutions firm Adecco Middle East, called on employers to continue discouraging international business trips as the risk of exposure during travelling is still very high. He also recommended companies implement temporary travel policies related to COVID-19 to protect the health of employees during the prevailing circumstances.

Such policies should be introduced which not only address safety rules and quarantine period upon employees' return, but also annual leave balances during travel restrictions. For instances, as UAE flights from India are suspended, many expats stranded in India have expressed concerns about their jobs. Therefore, companies must address employees' concerns related to annual leave balances, work-from-home options, among other issues in their temporary travel policies.

Mehra stressed a well-defined travel policy related to safety measures, annual leaves, quarantine protocols must be shared with employees before the upcoming holiday season.

"This could help employees plan their vacation and travel while limiting the potential spread of COVID-19 at the workplace," he added.

He noted the most cautious approach would be to allow employees who travelled to work from home for two weeks to avoid the risk of infection for others in the workplace. In addition, those employees who tested negative for COVID-19 can resume work after completing their quarantine period.

Clarise Morris, HR manager at Leviton Middle East and Africa, said employees are encouraged to check travel restrictions and guidelines of their destination countries before flying out.

“If the country is at level 3 or 4 (high-risk), we advise them to consider postponing their trip for a later date,” Morris said.

She noted that the health and well-being of all employees are the company's priorities in every step. Employees who are travelling for business are urged to comply with all COVID-19 related protocols implemented by the company. They are also encouraged to follow the travel restrictions of the destination state/country if travelling. She added that the company has shared a list of COVID-19 guidelines for travel for both business and personal reasons. These guidelines include information and instructions related to travel to specific countries, quarantine protocols, vaccinations, among other rules.

“Quarantine protocols and other guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated employees are mandated separately," she noted.

Mr Mehra also called on employers to keep a check of employees’ other activities during a business trip. For instance, the policy can restrict employees from visiting high-risk locations such as restaurants, bars, or tourist attractions, during their down time.

Morris also agreed that such safety checks are crucial to protect the health of employees.

“Employees requesting time off must provide information on where they are travelling to, be it domestically, internationally, and/or a cruise. We are seeing instances of employees taking shorter leave to enjoy a quick staycation or vacation as opposed to longer periods of leave," she added.

Morris underlined various wellbeing initiatives are being introduced by the company to mitigate the repercussions of the pandemic caused by factors like lack of travel, home-sickness, or simple changes in lifestyle in the country of residence.

Mehra noted that a number of companies have become flexible in terms of their annual leaves. These firms have introduced flexible leave programmes, wellness day-off, and expanded paid leave, among other facilities to support employees who may have been exposed to COVID-19.

"Organisations are helping staff members to make better use of their annual leave. Some are allowed to convert unused leave to cash, while others can carry forward more days of unused leaves," he added.