You might like to nominate a staff member or pandemic planning team who can do this preparation for your business.
1. Identify your business' core people and skills.
What are your business’ core activities, who carries out the essential roles and what skills do they need? How might your business operations be impacted by a 30 to 50 per cent drop in staff at the peak of the pandemic?
2. Consider the effects of supply shortages on operations.
Are there any products or external suppliers that are essential to your business functions? What would you do if you couldn’t access these products or people? Can items you need be stockpiled or sourced from another supplier?
3. Plan for staff absences.
Arrange for staff to learn other peoples’ jobs, especially the important ones, so that there are a number of people who can back-fill the positions of those who are away. Establish work from home policies where possible. You might need to think about the appropriate security measures you will need or what infrastructure might be needed to make this happen.
4. Consider human resource issues.
Update your leave policies (e.g. sick leave, carers leave and other provisions) and advise staff about staying away from work if they are ill during a pandemic. Concern about lost wages might make it difficult for some to stay at home, even if they are sick. Staff might also need to stay home to care for family, particularly children.
5. Decide if your business will stay open or close in a pandemic.
Remember if you provide an essential service for community functioning, you should make every effort to stay open. Businesses that are considering temporary closure should examine their insurance policies (especially Loss of Profit Insurance) and consult with their insurers before making a decision to close during a pandemic.
If you are not a key service provider you will need to consider at what point you might close temporarily. If you do stay open your business planning might include consideration of employee risks and your duty of care as an employer. Will you need to rely more on online or phone services? Does your business have the necessary infrastructure to cope? You should also consider that there may be interruptions to services, like power, or telecommunications down-time.
6. Encourage good personal hygiene practice.
You don’t need to wait for a pandemic to practice good hygiene that could reduce the spread of infection. Encourage good coughing/sneezing etiquette and ensure you have a good supply of hand washing products. Your business premises, especially hard surfaces, such as door knobs, sinks, railings, and counters, should be cleaned regularly. You should also ensure a well ventilated work area and check that your air conditioning is serviced regularly.
7. Understand social distancing measures.
In a pandemic, staff should be encouraged to minimise contact with others. This might include restrictions on congregating in staff rooms or shift changeovers where one shift leaves before the new shift begins.
8. Communicate your plans to your staff and customers.
In the lead up to, and during, a pandemic your staff will likely be concerned about and preoccupied with the wellbeing of their families. Their commitment or ability to work may not be their major concern. Staff and customers will feel reassured by your pandemic planning activities and will be pleased to know you are thinking ahead, and are preparing as best you can. Tell your staff about your expectations of them during a pandemic (i.e. to report any illness and not to come to work if ill.)
9. Look at the financial implications.
Think about how a downturn in business might affect your business’ cash flow. Do you have some cash reserves? Remember that credit facilities might be limited.
10. Test your plan and know when to use it.
Once you have developed your continuity plan, it is worthwhile to test your plan. This way you’ll know how well it might work in a real situation and if you have overlooked anything. Decide when you will activate your plan.
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