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H1N1, formerly known as swine flu, has been in the news for a few months. It was thought to have stabilized, but it appears that this may not be the case. Simply put, it looks like the world will be hit by a pandemic. This means a lot of sick people and a lot of people caring for sick family members. What this means for your business is that you need to prepare now!
Preparation tips
If your business doesn’t have a disaster recovery plan, now is the time to get one. For now let’s assume there is a pandemic. You will need to do a couple of things to prepare.
- Review the permission policy – make sure you have one and it’s clear. If you have a small business, you need a manual and a license policy.
- Cross Train: Find out who has job functions that are not supported. Anyone performing a function that cannot afford to live without needs a backup. Going one step further, you need to have a backup plan for every critical function in your organization.
- Quarantine – Are there job functions that can work remotely for a short period of time? Take advantage of technology to allow people to work remotely. In a quarantine situation, the fewer places a person has to visit, the less likely they are to come into contact with someone who is contagious. Also, if someone has to be away from work to care for a sick relative, it would be helpful if they could perform some of their work duties outside of the office.
- Backup plan: what external resources are there that you can use to run your business in case you have an outbreak in your office? By that I mean, can you keep trading with a significantly reduced trade? Do you have a continuity plan that includes a temporary staff service in case of disasters? One who knows your business and can give you short-term help? What is your plan if your city / area is quarantined? Do you have clear lines of authority and job descriptions in the event of a disaster? Make your backup plans now.
The point is to prepare now. Make those contingency arrangements now so that when the time comes, you can be prepared. It could save your business. Remember that people are your most important asset. Make sure you have them in place and that they know their responsibilities in a crisis and that you have a better chance of your business surviving.
