Risk briefing: how to protect your employees and business through civil unrest and riots

This year’s political climate, marked by surging anti-immigration sentiment, polarised debates over asylum policy and a continued erosion of public trust, has created a uniquely high-risk landscape for businesses.

Protests that begin peacefully are escalating more quickly, and misinformation is accelerating the flashpoint between online anger and real-world violence.

In the UK, migration-related tensions have triggered outbreaks of serious unrest in towns and cities across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The violent scenes in Ballymena, along with nationwide anti-migrant protests that rapidly tipped into street-level clashes, highlight just how combustible the social landscape has become.

Jake Puddle, a senior researcher at British Future, who published a report earlier this year which found a third of people rarely meeting anyone from different backgrounds, describes the UK as a “powder keg of tensions.”

“People are unhappy about their standard of living and the state of their local area, and don’t trust politicians to sort it out,” says Puddle.

“Public concerns about immigration and asylum can also be a flashpoint. That’s only made worse when people have little contact with new arrivals, where public voices exacerbate division, and where governments fail to support or consult communities in their plans for asylum accommodation.”

Research released by broking firm Gallagher in February found that more than one in four UK businesses were impacted by civil unrest last year. According to ACLED data, nearly 1,000 protests took place in 2024, equivalent to just short of 20 events per week, with subjects such as climate change, politics and immigration driving protesters to the streets.

“It is clear that all kinds of civil unrest in the UK is a problem and is weighing heavily on the minds of business leaders,” says Jonathan Rae, Director of Crisis Management at Gallagher.

“With many of the underlying conditions cited by business leaders still present in the UK, from inflationary pressures to societal division, it is no surprise UK businesses are concerned.”

How can businesses protect employees

Civil unrest and rioting present a vast spectrum of intricate risks that organisations urgently need to mitigate against.

The priority should be protection of people, assets and property, in that order. The safety of employees and integrity of assets can quickly be compromised. Organisations should demonstrate an enhanced level of duty of care that sufficiently mitigates the risks posed by such events.

Nathan McGlave, founder at Crypteia Consulting, says: “If it appears business operations are at a heightened risk of being impacted by a protest event, management should consider training response protocols.

“Consider developing lockdown procedures, if not already in place for extreme situations”

“This may include briefs on corporate or location-specific response protocols, conducting drills, or training staff on personal security and the individual actions they should take if personnel find themselves caught up in a protest event.”

He adds that businesses should have an established set of contingency and response procedures, particularly for locations or critical assets that may be impacted by protests. This often includes pre-determined measures such as:

• Encouraging or enforcing remote work in flashpoint or impacted areas.
• An uplift in manned security guarding or personnel
• Enhancing access control procedures

He says: “Consider developing lockdown procedures, if not already in place for extreme situations, it may be appropriate to lock down a location so there is no permitted entry or exit for a designated period.

“Businesses that are able to plan in advance for these scenarios can pre-determine alternative locations within their operational region or country to absorb certain operations.”

Protecting mental health

HR teams should be available for employees that are impacted by civil unrest, especially those who feel personally targeted.

For instance, in the UK, employees from minority communities in areas affected by the riots should maintain regular contact with their line managers, and be aware of internal escalation measures in the event that they are accosted or feel unsafe.

Karla Gahan, head of resilience at Barnett Waddingham says: “On the wellbeing side, there will be a whole spectrum of people from those that are not bothered through to those that are quite fearful.

“An employer who discusses familial concerns: home addresses, wider family concerns and helps to share advice will be appreciated.”

“Risk managers should work with HR teams to help share valid local information as a vacuum of information will not help those that are fearful. This is a time for organisations to walk the talk about valuing the people that work for them.”

Mike O’Halloran, director at Conduct Risk says that it is important to understand your employee demographics and to manage the concerns of individual employees. He adds: “Employees will all have families. An employer who discusses familial concerns: home addresses, wider family concerns and helps to share advice will be appreciated.”

“The aftermath will leave scars in the communities. CSR plans and community support initiatives may be both a force for good and revenue generation. This should also include the police and first responders.”

Thinking about insurance

Risk managers should review business interruption (BI) insurance policies to see if they are covered. Some jurisdictions have started legislating businesses to expand their injury prevention programmes so that employees are protected against physical violence from civil disobedience, and it’s possible that legislators in the UK and Europe could follow suit.

“Businesses of all types are exposed to civil unrest, and having the right insurance is key to mitigating the impact and any financial losses,” says Rae. “As well as insuring damage to properties and having the right business interruption cover if firms are unable to trade, businesses should also consider crisis resilience insurance which includes a wide range of cover including risk management advice, access to emergency funds, employee awareness training, 24/7 response consultants, liaison with the authorities and business recovery advice.”

O’Halloran says: “Civil unrest, riots etc may only be covered if the business has political violence & terrorism (PV&T) cover. Discuss various scenarios with the company’s insurance broker to confirm cover or exposure. Speak with local security companies if under contract about their advice, response capabilities and times. The gold standard is an employer who knows what’s coming and takes appropriate action.”

Gahan adds: “Depending on your location, you may need to put in extra security measures – either people, or physical barriers. Take specialist advice as needed and again, check with insurers if you are covered.”