With the Swine Flu all over the news and other illnesses such as the Bird Flu looming over our shoulders, does the thought ever pop into your head…
“What happens if no one comes to work?”
If so, you are moving in the correct direction. If no thought or planning has gone into this issue and another pandemic comes around, a business owner or manager could be left stuck with no workers and no plan to implement.
It’s estimated that, during a pandemic, 40% of your workforce will be either sick, caring for a sick loved one, or too afraid to come to work due to fear of getting sick. What will you do when 40% of your employees do not show up to work on Monday morning?
It’s best if every company implements a Business Continuity Plan, such as major companies like Sprint, Microsoft, and IBM. Sprint has an Emergency Incident Management team as part of their Business Continuity Plan and many companies have restricted travel when alert levels rise to a specific number. Another option that IBM started in 2006 is to do an assessment of how many employees can work from home and what skills can be covered by other employees if someone were to get sick.
Whatever the Business Continuity Plan includes, it is a necessary tool for each company, large and small. If you need assistance creating a Business Continuity Plan you can get help from the PA Department of Health or call us to help you devise your plan so you are prepared for any pandemic that may hit.
