Help in a Geopolitical Conflict as a Global Mobility Manager
We want to share a few thoughts about the situation in Gaza. For the sake of humanity (as a whole, and the humanity of all our brothers and sisters in Israel and Palestine), please take these points into account when you read information online and especially before you like or repost something you find on social media. Use social media responsibly. Use social media to do good. Remember, a minority commits acts of terrorism, and the large majority of people in the world do not support terrorists.
Support Your Expats in a Geopolitical Conflict as a Global Mobility Manager
- Clarify your roles and responsibilities for the expat and business traveler population affected by conflict and war. Your company should have an emergency crisis committee. Gain access to become a member of this committee.
- Understand what your exact role is in handling life-and-death situations.
- Check-in with your Expats and Travelers personally. Ensure they know what to do and who to contact, especially if they are new to the country.
- Use reliable resources such as International SOS to stay informed about the security situation on the ground and in neighboring countries. Check if you have a membership and who is covered by it. Ensure all your local staff in affected areas have access to International SOS.
- Consider what you share on social media. Sometimes, it’s better to observe than to post.
- Follow the WHO on WhatsApp for Health Alerts.
- If you can help, volunteer your time; you have excellent skills and knowledge to help.
- Hold a fundraiser at your workplace and ask your employer to match donations.
- Inform yourself of refugee status updates if you have local staff on the ground who might become displaced by following UNHCR updates.
- Decide how you want to control your media intake to function.
Ensure you are mentally ready to support others and contact me if you wish to talk.
Keep these principles in mind when sharing news on social media
- Only share from trustworthy sources: The British government came up with this motto as mnemotechnic support: Take care with what you SHARE, where each letter forming the word “share” is a point on a checklist to make sure you are careful (Source, Headline, Analyze, Retouched, Error – https://sharechecklist.gov.uk/#the-checklist).
- Watch out for propaganda and fake news: It is easy to share disinformation unaware. Be critical and ask yourself who wrote or published the content, what they claim, and whether the site shows bias.
- Beware of clickbait. It appeals to your emotions and curiosity, but those do not warrant information quality. You can often recognize clickbait and fake news in their persuasive language. Persuasive language can make any media more engaging and convincing. However, its ultimate purpose is to win your trust and influence your thoughts even if the facts do not support the arguments. Curiosity-picking language is typical of clickbait. Be careful, look beyond the rhetoric, and think for yourself.
- Give people space to grieve: If you come across a post about a grieving person, the best you can do is offer support. Hate comments certainly won’t help anyone.
- Be aware of echo chambers: An echo chamber in digital media results from the algorithms and activity tracking that govern what content a person sees on any platform. This results in that person only encountering information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own. Echo chambers can create misinformation and distort a person’s perspective.
Donations and Grass-Roots Organization
Amid this chaos, there are countless organizations and spontaneous campaigns to help refugees, and we wanted to be sure we gave to a trustworthy organization. We know there is a lot of goodwill, but it’s hard to know whom to trust. If you consider grass-roots support, these guidelines might help. Here are things you should consider:
- Does the relief charity meet Better Business Bureau charity standards?
- Can the charity get to the impacted area?
- Not all charities have the resources to provide relief as quickly as necessary. It would be wise to check and see if the charity already has a presence in the Middle East.
- Should you send clothing and food, these items may not be the most practical. Delivering them to Palestine and Jordan could create logistical challenges. They also often create a lot of extra waste if they cannot be used immediately.
- Is the charity experienced in providing emergency relief?
Humanitarian Organizations
Some humanitarian organizations are experienced in disaster relief and would be the best to help deliver assistance as soon as possible. We want to recommend these organizations:
Good Resources for Updates
NZZ ENGLISH
https://www.nzz.ch/english/the-growing-number-of-crises-doesnt-herald-world-war-iii-ld.1822342
DEUTSCHE WELLE
https://www.youtube.com/@dwnews
Be Mindful of Fake News
On sharing of Fake News.
