Business Continuity
Posted on May 5, 2009
Did Your Plan Include Pandemic Preparedness?
With international health and governmental officials declaring a heightened state of alert in regions around the world and corporations, schools and other institutions of daily life disrupted, many companies have reflexively reached for their Crisis Management Plan.
Unfortunately, many such plans haven’t historically included a “Pandemic Preparedness” section. As the number of diagnosed cases of the H1N1 virus (or “Swine Flu”) has steadily mounted over recent days, many have felt the need to add such a chapter.
When it comes to pandemic response, the best way to minimize physical, financial and psychological loss is to avert or at least mitigate risk amidst fluid conditions. Some basic crisis management techniques – many of them linked closely with effective communications – will come into play:
• Establish and communicate the chain of command with clearly defined roles, responsibilities and authorities.
• Prevent and deflect rumors by providing honest information that is neither alarmist nor dismissive of the threat.
• Identify and work with suppliers and clients to ensure business continuity in the event of transportation and distribution disruptions. Identify existing and projected critical skills shortages. Put in place staff cross-training, testing and certification.
• Reinforce corporate-wide understanding about hygiene and measures for minimizing transmission of infection.
• Communicate to employees that it is company policy that anyone exhibiting symptoms should avoid the workplace and remain at home until fully recovered and symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
• Articulate your company’s posture, day by day, as developments unfold and various responses are required. Acknowledge fears, keep workers informed, don’t lie or tell half-truths and if you don’t know the answer, don’t say you do. Be calm and consistent.
• Visit www.pandemicflu.gov to make sure that planning is current and in concert with best practices for workforce safety and continuous operations as recommended by the U.S. government.
• Revisit existing plans and make sure that all telephone trees and other contact sources are accurate and up-to-date.
For more information, contact info@wwsteele.com, visit www.steelefoundation.com or call 415-505-6147.
STEELE is a global business advisory and risk management company and longtime provider of investigative, security and consulting services for multinational Fortune 500 companies, as well as small and mid-sized businesses, governmental and nonprofit organizations. With regional offices in 16 strategic locations around the world and engagements in over 90 countries, STEELE’s solutions respond to the complexity of doing business in today’s fluid, outsourced marketplace. Specialized local expertise includes intellectual property and brand protection, compliance auditing, forensic accounting, due diligence and background investigations, incident management, emergency response and executive protection.
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