Business Continuity Planning Should Address Pandemic Threat

Business Continuity Planning Should Address Pandemic Threat

In our last post, we discussed business continuity planning tips as we enter into hurricane season. Organizations should take steps to ensure that their facilities are prepared for disaster and that employees know what to do in an emergency. They should also make sure that business-critical applications and data are protected and can be recovered quickly if needed.

But what if the looming disaster could not be seen? What if, instead of a major storm, a global flu pandemic were to strike?

This is a very real and growing concern among infectious disease experts and public health officials. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, recently wrote an article entitled, “The big one is coming, and it’s going to be a flu pandemic.” Tony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health recently said the infection that worries him most is “pandemic influenza.” Dr. Ted Louie, an infectious disease expert with the Medical Society of New Jersey, is concerned about the threat of bird flu, which has infected hundreds of people in China over the past few months.

While the greatest concern in a pandemic is the health and safety of individuals, organizations should also address the pandemic threat in their business continuity plans. In 2008, the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto conducted the first study assessing the impact of flu pandemic on individual companies. The researchers concluded that organizations could experience employee absenteeism of up to 40 percent, with significant adverse impact on revenues and profits. Given the probability of a pandemic occurring and the potential adverse impact, the Schulich report demonstrates that pandemic preparedness makes good financial sense.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control have developed guidelines and checklists to help employers plan for a pandemic outbreak. Among their suggestions:

  • Determine the potential impact of a pandemic on company financials using multiple possible scenarios that affect different product lines, services and/or production sites.
  • Establish an emergency communications plan, and develop policies for employee compensation and sick-leave absences unique to a pandemic.
  • Select someone to coordinate pandemic response and the impact of the flu on the workplace. Disseminate information about preparedness and planning to dispel fear, anxiety, rumors and misinformation.
  • Educate employees on proper workplace hygiene practices and the at-home care of ill family members. Ensure the availability of medical consultation and advice.
  • Restrict travel to affected geographic areas.
  • Identify roles and tasks that are required to maintain business operations. Cross-train employees to ensure continuity should essential employees become ill.
  • Implement guidelines to modify the frequency and type of face-to-face contact. Consider flexible scheduling, including telecommuting and staggered shifts.

Technology can play a role in an organization’s pandemic response. Collaboration tools can enable employees to communicate and share files without face-to-face meetings. Cloud services and secure remote access ensure that employees can get to the applications and data they need from any location. These tools can enable employees who are slightly ill, or those with sick family members, to continue working remotely.

Though many consider a pandemic to be an event that lies beyond their control, organizations can take steps to mitigate and manage the challenges a pandemic can pose. The key is to consider the potential for pandemic in business continuity planning, and implement policies, procedures and technologies that can help keep the business running.


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