Press Releases

mBARC Provides Multinational Companies with “Sheltering in Country” Support

mBARC provides information, communications and business continuity support program to help companies with employees around the world safely and successfully navigate the COVID-19 pandemic; partnership with Corporate Health LLC to make program available across Russia.

BOCA RATON, FL – April 24, 2020 – mBARC, the “globility” company, today announces an information and communications program to support multinational companies with employees “sheltering in country” around the world. Reports have been pouring in from locations across the globe attesting to the uncertainty and anxiety expatriates are experiencing, which are often heightened by the lack of clear direction and support from their employers back home. The mBARC program offers a combination of timely webinars, virtual town halls to connect global workforces, a chatbot for on-demand access to up-to-the minute COVID-related information, employee assessments to identify needs, and a help desk for employees and their families seeking support and access to critical resources.

The program includes the following components:

1. Real-time webinars lead by mBARC’s team of experts in behavioral health, pandemic response and business continuity, incuding a Q&A with the company’s leadership and workforce. Topics to include:

Managing the Human Impacts of COVID-19: a series on behavioral health/coping strategies for employees.
Organizational Agility and Business Continuity: tools and approaches for optimizing communications/collaboration/engagement across a “remote” workforce.
Executive COVID Briefing: lead by mBARC’s team of infectious disease experts, attendees will be brought up to date on what we know, what we don’t know, what to prepare for.

2. Virtual Town Hall: mBARC will coordinate and host virtual town hall-type meetings connecting company leadership with their workforce around the world.

3. Resiliency Assessments: evaluate coping, overall performance, including how well employees are adapting to tele-work during the crisis; identify needs as they arise.

4. Chatbot: provides users with on-demand information and insight on the fast-evolving virus. Includes information on symptoms, transmission, prevention, treatment, latest news developments, and resources.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is an entirely new category of critical incident that will bring unprecedented levels of uncertainty, anxiety and disruption, which is increasingly the case with expats who find themselves in limbo – ineligible for support from the host country, and fearful of losing their jobs if they return to the U.S.(or their home country),” said Ken Burgess, mBARC co-Founder. “Our program enables companies to provide their expats with up-to-date information, clear direction and on-demand support to decrease their anxiety, help promote healthy behaviors, and maintain business continuity during this crisis.”

Corporate Health, LLC, Russia-based EAP, engages mBARC to make the program available to companies with workforces located across Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belorussia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.

“As we’re starting to see here in Russia, the duration and unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic make it very different from a standard critical incident, demanding that companies take specific measures to support the mental health and wellbeing of their employees to maintain focus and business continuity,” said Alexander Shtoulman, General Director for Corporate Health. “Combining mBARC’s program with our EAP services enables us to keep the organizations we serve better informed, safer, less anxious and more productive.”

“Corporate Health, a true pioneer in bringing EAP to Russia, has a well-deserved reputation for providing responsive, discrete, and effective counseling and critical incident services,” said Burgess. “Working together, we will be able to provide expats as well as Russian nationals with guidance, reliable information and support, enabling multinationals to safeguard their most valuable assets anywhere in the world.”

On Thursday, May 21, at 5 PM (Moscow Time), mBARC, in association with Corporate Health, will be moderating a webinar on “Behavioral Health and Well-Being: the Cornerstones of Business Continuity During the COVID-19 Crisis.” Click to learn more and to register.

About mBARC

mBARC is a “globility” company providing all segments of the mobile workforce with tools, expertise and guidance for safe, successful business assignments anywhere in the world – from expatriates to tele-workers. mBARC was developed in consultation with a cross section of business leaders and experts in the fields of global security and workforce mobility, risk management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral science. For more, visit www.mbarcworld.com.

About Corporate Health

Corporate Health, LLC was established in 2008 and has become the first Russian provider of Employee Assistance Program and other workplace services. They currently service more than 250 organizations in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belorussia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, thirty of which are on the Fortune Global 500 list. For more, visit www.corphealth.ru.

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April 21, 2020 | No Comments

mBARC, the “Globility Company,” Officially Launches

mBARC to provide expertise, guidance and readiness tools for safe and successful business assignments anywhere in the world

BOCA RATON, FL – February 5, 2020 – Today marks the official launch of mBARC, a “globility” platform providing comprehensive, personalized, destination-specific support to assure safe and successful business assignments anywhere in the world. mBARC covers all phases of the expatriate journey, beginning with an AI-driven assessment that gauges adaptability to the host country/region, cultural competence and situational/risk awareness. Each expat and his/her family is paired with a dedicated “Navigator” – a coach with deep and broad regional expertise, to help prepare and provide support for the life of the assignment. mBARC also provides managers with Duty of Care training on their responsibilities and role in assuring their employees’ safety when sent to given world locations.

mBARC was developed in consultation with a cross section of business leaders and experts in the fields of global security and workforce mobility, risk management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral science. The destination-specific assessment and preparation instrument, called the International Assignment Profile, has been used by hundreds of expats and their families in identifying assignment “risk” and preparing them for successful overseas assignments. mBARC’s Navigators are credentialed counselors and coaches who have lived and worked in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. They provide mentoring during the pre-departure phase, in-country guidance, ongoing engagement, and critical incident support.

“Employees on an overseas assignment of any duration have a much greater chance of success when they are resilient and engaged, have an understanding of the culture plus support for their spouse and/or family, a clear-eyed view of the threats and risks associated with their location, and are trained in security protocols and crisis management/response,” said Ken Burgess, mBARC co-founder. “Our AI-driven assessment and readiness instrument and the expertise of our roster of top international coaches, enable us to assure successful business assignments and safeguard a company’s investment in their global workforce.”

mBARC Addresses the Following Company Pain Points:

Failed assignments due to lack of preparation.
Need to manage increasing size and complexity of mobile workforce.
Management unaware of their DOC responsibilities.
Lack of In-country support.
Lack of engagement during assignment.
Successful assignment, failed transition back home.

“Expat failure rates among U.S. companies remain high, with costs of failed assignments running into the millions, largely due to poor preparation, lack of responsive in-country support, and unsuccessful repatriation – a largely unmet need that mBARC was formed to address,” said Charles Epstein, mBARC co-founder. “mBARC is essentially an extended warranty on an organization’s mobile workforce. We look forward to working with companies in safely and successfully extending their reach to all parts of the world and achieving their international business objectives.”

For more, email info@mbarcworld.com.

January 27, 2020 | No Comments