In addition to providing employee assistance programs, this new suite for employees offers support ranging from country-specific security training and on-site trauma counseling to stress and anxiety workshops for groups. Cross-cultural training helps employees to understand different cultural attitudes and manage challenging work situations where cultural difference, stress and possible bias are the root of the issue. The suite aims to provide support that crosses the globe and offers interventions at every stage of concern that an employee might experience. These services are extended to families of employees as well.

For employers, one focus of this new service suite is to provide just-in-time advice or professional consultation as soon as an employee challenge arises. At the same time, the true strength of this service suite lies in proactively helping managers spot potential issues before they become exaggerated. Cross-cultural coaching helps managers better understand and manage cultural challenges and biases faced by employees in today's highly charged work environments - whether at home or in a different country. Coaching by stress counselors also assists managers to identify and manage potential stress triggers for employees.

As a result of this growing international climate of terrorism and war, employees around the world now face a series of new challenges that include heightened anxiety, stress, cultural bias, and fear for personal and family safety. Louise O'Grady, Vice President, Global Services for FGIworld, said that, "It's not uncommon for employees both in North America and around the world to be experiencing a range of negative emotions that impact directly on their ability to carry on normally with their job-related activities. Threats of war in Iraq and "orange alerts" around another terrorist attack on Western soil have incurred a great deal of stress in the minds of people everywhere. Those in 'high risk' locations may fear for personal and family safety. And differences in beliefs, values and politics, especially in a multicultural work environment, can become exaggerated when people begin to put a cultural face on those they perceive are their enemy. This can lead to misunderstandings and hostility that deteriorates work relationships and creates conflict among work teams."

Allon Bross, President and CEO of FGIworld, said, "Our clients expressed a need for support services that not only provided support for their employees here in North America but also for those who live, work and travel internationally. These senior executives and managers need timely advice as some are faced for the first time with managing employees overwhelmed by fear that a new terrorist attack is imminent. We learned a lot about employee reaction to terrorism when we sent our trauma teams to New York in the first days after 9/11. We learned even more about ongoing stress and re-occurring trauma in the year that followed. Human emotions are dynamic. Negative ones can be paralyzing. Our new suite of services is intended to dispel that paralysis and help employers and employees make clear and informed choices about how to live and work as naturally as possible through this challenging time."

FGIworld provides global employee and employer support services in the areas of Domestic and International Employee Assistance Programs, Pre-Assignment Assessments, Cross-Cultural Training and In-country Support services, Expat/Business Travel Support Services, Global HR Disaster Management & Recovery Programs, and International Security Briefings. FGIworld's 1,900 clients employ 3.5 million people around the world. FGIworld has ten corporate offices in North America. Its U.S. headquarters is based in Parsippany, New Jersey. www.fgiworld.com

For more information, please contact:
Rachel Azzopardi, FGIworld at (905) 886-2157 x2302 razzopar@fgiworld.com