Preparing your Business for a Pandemic [Part 1]

1 Summary

In the past, we have long considered the possibility of the avian flu, MERS-CoV, Ebola and Zika developing into a pandemic. In the present, that possibility has become reality with the COVID-19 pandemic. With the spread of COVID-19 globally, it had become clear to all that infectious disease is a major threat that can shut down entire countries, grind their economies to a halt, and disrupt our daily lives - and nothing short of proper international coordination will see the end of it on a global level.

Many countries around the world and most organisations now (finally) view Infectious Disease as a major threat to the economic environment and business operations. Although a global event like COVID-19 may not happen in our lifetimes again, the potential damage is too great to not have safeguards in place. Organisations need to continue their guard against Infectious Disease, or any similar epidemic moving forward.

Hence, it is imperative for enterprises to develop and implement controls and measures to reduce and mitigate the associated risks. If the risks cannot be reduced or mitigated, it is necessary for the organisation to implement processes and procedures to ensure business continuity in light of the potential threat of denial of access to facilities. Moreover, worst still, the possibility of losing the services of critical human resources as a result of a quarantine imposed (or perhaps, even death).

Unlike many other incidents, there is some preparation time for the detailed planning and implementation of the mitigation measures before the pandemic arrives. The inclusion of the WHO’s pandemic stages in the organisation’s BC plans will allow the organisation to carry out the pandemic preparation without waiting until the full plan is developed.

2 Each Pandemic Becomes Harder to Manage

One of the key tasks facing BC professionals is being prepared for the unexpected, although it is fair to say that the COVID-19 has proven significantly more complicated than many had expected from an infectious pandemic.

Faced with such a prolonged disruptive event and worldwide implications, it is essential to have a suitably experienced and dedicated Crisis Management and Business Continuity program in place.

3 Structure

Throughout the length and breadth of the organisation, a clear understanding is needed for the structure within which this function operates. Frequent exercise in a scenario-based manner that challenges the thought processes is crucial for the structure. The structure must be flexible so that it can be easily adapted to meet the constantly evolving Infectious Disease situation. So long as the structure of the response as a whole is established, many other factors will fall into place as you can exert control over the incident swiftly.

The introduction of a pandemic operating establishment will ensure that all involved in the response are informed of the different operating regime to be practised while the disease outbreak is taking place.

4 Knowledge and Monitoring

Collecting information from a wide range of sources and constant surveillance and update is vital throughout any response to an infectious disease affecting your business. On this basis, fair policies can be developed (and revised over time) to protect your customers, staff and stakeholders, while mitigating the risk of any loss of business and reputation.

Understanding community-wide governmental policies is also important. It enables you to shape the response of your company to meet your customers’ needs (e.g. how do you satisfy the clients’ needs in quarantined areas?). The nature of these policies will depend on what kind of organisation you belong to, and the advice received at the time. However, it is important for everyone to know what these are in as open a manner as possible.

5 Communication

When a site gets infected, one of the key communication steps is providing medical bulletins to all offices and preparing for the inevitable economic shocks as mass illness slows trade and undermines both public services and private commerce.

It is crucial, even before a disaster, to build confidence among staff, customers, and key external parties so that they trust the organisation’s messages and requirements during a catastrophe. The key is to increase confidence and solidarity between the executive management and staff members within the organisation

As the intranet, e-mail, telecommunications software, and web-based business channels are critical tools during a disaster, the maintenance of their resiliency should be high on the agenda in the early stages of any response.

6 Changes to Business Operations

The impending Infectious Disease outbreak has made many businesses re-think their operations so as to “live with Infectious Disease.” There is no known vaccine for another six to nine months after the disease outbreak. The consolation is that countries continue to race to set up the necessary infrastructure to develop the vaccine in the shortest possible time. Meanwhile, these are some of the changes that organisations can undertake: