Pandemic - what should we be doing?

For business operations

You need to answer three questions:

1. How to continue to operate effectively while keeping contact between your staff, and between staff, clients and suppliers to a minimum?

2. How to continue to operate effectively if your key people are incapacitated for prolonged periods – or even permanently?

3. How to continue to operate effectively if the supply chain is disrupted?

The following are some action points that you can apply:

• Plans - Develop a crisis management plan.

• Policy - Consider changes to your existing policies, or new policies, regarding travel, leave and absenteeism, home working and flexible work hours.

• Technology - Consider how to increase the use of technology such as video conferencing, remote access, increasing network capacity, increasing network connectivity, increased use of VoIP or cell phones to improve management effectiveness and sales and service delivery.

• Workforce - Provide good information and training. Identify and train staff as backup for key roles. Can your own HR systems provide family support? 
  Remember that the emotional and psychological impacts of a pandemic could be at least as great as the physical impacts. How will you recover or support staff who are isolated or trapped away from home – maybe overseas on business?

• Clients - Anticipate – what will clients expect in terms of product or service demand and delivery during a pandemic?
  What products and services will suffer the greatest impact? Develop a prioritisation for product and service delivery for clients.

• Supply chain -  Plan for shortages, plan for delays in supply, plan for delays in delivery. Have you got adequate credit facilities with banks in place?
  Do you have alternate suppliers for critical raw materials? Do you have adequate critical spares are hand? 

• Transport  -  Transport routes may be closed or restricted – are there alternates? Do you have access to adequate fuel supplies? Do you have your own drivers, will you need to prioritise their work?
  Will you have to make arrangements to get key staff to the workplace

• Communications - Prepare contingency statements for delivery to staff. Set expectations for clients and suppliers. Develop media statements if necessary. Develop alternate communications channels in case the normal ones become overloaded or unreliable.            

In summary

• Focus on essentials. Identify your company’s critical functions and figure out how to keep them going with 25% - 50% of your staff sick or away.
• Make your people aware of the threat and the steps you are taking to prepare for it.
• Work with your clients, suppliers and partners to minimise disruption.
• Use technology options to the maximum that you can.
• Position the business as best as possible to ride out any disruptions.

 ^[1]  Adapted from an article by Dr Jim Kennedy “Pandemic Business Continuity Planning – Things to Consider” at  www.continuitycentral.com/feature0300.htm