An influenza pandemic can impact service levels and trigger supply chain disruption such as production and shipping delays. A plan, customized to your unique needs, reduces the severity of its impact on you, your employees and your customers. Planning can help smooth out disruptions to business, income and cash flow challenges that may hurt your ability to get back in the game when the pandemic is over.
Your proactive attitude to plan for this threat can mitigate your losses and enhance your reputation with employees, customers, and suppliers. Fear can paralyze a business - having a plan will help focus employees and provide you with a roadmap to recovery.
How will it impact my business?
While it is impossible to predict with any certainty the length of a pandemic, experts are saying it is likely it will come in two or three waves and may last up to two years. Most business continuity plans are designed around a short interruption in business with a primary effect on our p hysical environment. An influenza pandemic affects only people; the power grids, roads and transit will likely remain intact. It is anticipated that up to 30% of the workforce will be home sick or at home taking care of sick family members at various times during a pandemic. This will have a serious impact for business if not managed properly.
Why does my business need a Pandemic Plan?
From a risk management perspective, you prepare a plan to ensure that your business survives. ; Having a comprehensive plan in place can help reduce the spread of disease and help protect your employees. ; Wi thout a plan, businesses will be making decisions under stress and will be left with fewer options. Bei ng prepared takes a holistic approach to sustaining your business, anticipating impacts to practices, policies and procedures used daily. The plan is your roadmap to containing costs and minimizing the impact to your business and employees.
What do I need to consider?
The anticipated impact to your business needs to be considered in order to determine how extensive the plan needs to be to suit your unique business needs. What services, processses, policies and people does it need to encompass? How will your supply chain be impacted? Will the demand for your product remain consistent? How will you be able to fill that demand? How will you communicate to your employees, customers and suppliers? How will you maintain essential processes in your business? do you have enough people trained to provide back-up during illness?
What can employers do?
Initiating work-at-home strategies during early stages can control lthe spread, providing you additional resources later on. Document processes and procedures to assist in cross-training of employees.
Health and safety legislation sets a duty of care which means employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees and are responsible to ensure actions of employees do not harm others. This means employers should introduce pandemic or "shadow" policies that assist in controlling the spread of infection. The following are some healthy workplace initiatives to prevent the spread of infection.
- Educate your employees on infection control measures; reinforce this learning with posters in the workplace
- Adopt a much higher standard of cleanliness; disinfect anything that is frequently handled including telephones, computers, desks, and even your visitor sign-in pen
- Promote frequent hand washing; provide hand sanitizers, tissues and garbage cans for tissue disposal
- Introduce social distancing measures, including the cancellation of mass gatherings, alternatives to face-to-face contact at work and increasing the physical distance between people
- Promote seasonal influenza vaccination among employees and their family members
- Support sick employees to voluntarily stay home with pandemic attendance policies.
How can I get help with my plan?
HR Off-Site is experienced in helping business and not-for-profit organizations develop their pandemic plans. We zone in to your needs and ask the right questions. Then, after the plan is completed, we're still beside you, determining the impact of new legislation that may apply.HR Off-Site provides you with wide-ranging insight and expertise when you need it by offering you access to human resources professionals who can help you address any human resources concerns you may have. Our fees are affordable and can be retainer or project based.
Contact HR Off-Site at 905-892-9075 or email info@hroffsite.ca for more information.
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