In Canada, May 3rd to 9th is Emergency Preparedness Week; timely considering the emergence of the swine flu. Threats such as this act as a reminder of the level of preparedness required by business.

According to the results of a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) survey with 1,012 participants, “electronic attack and human disease – such as pandemic influenza– are the two greatest concerns facing organizations, identified by 58 and 57 per cent respectively.” I think it is safe to say that the risk of a global pandemic is top of mind for most organizations this week.

Depending upon industry, some companies have had to deal with this risk immediately; head on. Tour operators such as “Montreal-based Transat AT Inc., Canada's largest tour operator, said yesterday it is "postponing" flights from Canada to Mexico operated by Transat and its partner airlines until June 1” reports the Toronto Star.

However, as a 2008 Deloitte survey report points out, “Business disruptions can no longer be considered exceptions. They are commonplace, largely due to the increasingly global nature of business.” Yet the aforementioned March 2009 CMI report states that “despite the more widespread adoption of BCM, the percentage of managers reporting that continuity is regarded as important in their organization has fallen over the past year from 76 per cent to 64 per cent.” Not surprisingly, the Deloitte survey found “…a clear correlation between the level of senior management involvement in BCM and a company’s tolerance—or lack of tolerance—for downtime.”

With the threat of a pandemic looming, CMI statistics that indicate “53 per cent of organizations still have no plans to help them cope during a pandemic” point to the need for immediate action. The report reminds business leaders that “Government advice is that as a prudent basis for planning, organizations employing large numbers of people should ensure that their plans are capable of handling staff absence rates building up to a peak of 15 to 20 per cent lasting 2-3 weeks – over and above usual absenteeism levels. Small businesses or larger organizations with small critical teams should plan for levels of absence building up to 30 to 35 per cent at the 2-3 week peak.”

Other plans need to address organizational policies regarding; business travel, workplace hygiene, protecting workers who may be in the front-line, sick leave policy and reducing fear in the workplace. CSO online  quotes “Kevin Coleman, a strategic management consultant at Technolytics,” as saying that “ the best bet for companies right now is to limit business travel, bring in extra cleaning crews and keep employees at home if they complain of so much as a sniffle.” Related advice is given by Katherine Walsh —also with CSO online—who suggests that organizations “set up a monitoring system, have both general and localized plans, keep employees' functions in mind, prepare for the unexpected and be ready to serve.”

On HR.com, member William McPeck kindly shared some resources in a recent blog entitled Swine Flu Information Resources. In addition, two of my blogs; Achoo! Maintaining Employee Performance during Flu Season and When the Unthinkable Happens address the topics of emergency and business continuity planning.

Other helpful resources can be accessed using the following links:

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care “Pandemic Planning Checklist for Employers”

Emergency Management Ontario planning video for families

City of Toronto, Public Health, has downloadable posters on proper hand washing techniques and cough etiquette 

Directgov UK Business Continuity Management Toolkit

References:

Brenner, Bill. “Swine Flu: What Exactly Does Phase 5 Mean?” CSO [www.csoonline.com]. April 29, 2009.

Brenner, Bill. “Swine Flu: To Fear is to Fail.” CSO [www.scoonline.com]. April 29, 2009.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Travel Warning: Swine Influenza and Severe Cases of Respiratory Illness in Mexico — Avoid Nonessential Travel to Mexico. Atlanta, GA: CDC, April 29, 2009.

City of Toronto Public Health. “Swine Flu” [www.toronto.ca]. April 29, 2009.

Deloitte LLP. “Aware” or “committed”- where do you stand? Deloitte LLP [www.deloitte.com]. October 1, 2008.

Directgov. “General business continuity advice” [www.direct.gov.uk]. Obtained April 30, 2009.

Emergency Management Ontario. “Emergency Preparedness Video” [www.emergencymanagementontario.ca]. April 29, 2009.

Higgins, Michelle. “What Travelers Should Know.” The New York Times, [www. travel.nytimes.com]. April 28, 2009.

Ontario Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care. “Pandemic Planning Checklist for Employers” [www.health.gov.on.ca]. May 2006.

Public Safety Canada. “A guide to business continuity planning” [www.publicsafety.gc.ca]. January 21, 2009.

Slater, Derek. “Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning: The Basics” CSO [www.csoonline.com]. Obtained April 30, 2009.

Sorensen, Chris. “Tour operator halts Mexico flights.” Toronto Star, [www.thestar.com]. April 29, 2009.

Walsh, Katherine. “A Pandemic Planner” CSO [www.csoonline.com]. November 1, 2006.

Woodman, Patrick and Dr. Vidal Kumar. A Decade of Living Dangerously. London: U.K., Chartered Management Institute. March 2009.