KnoWhat2Do: Preparing Business for Pandemic Threats
- By Kwa heri Heard
- Dec 09, 2009
Increasingly,
businesses are faced with threats of epidemics/pandemics from various
antibiotic drug resistant infectious and communicable diseases of which humans
have no natural defense, such as Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) and Influenza
A Virus Subtype Hemagglutinin1 / Neuramidinase1 (H1N1). In light of these
threats, emergency planning and disaster preparedness should include advance
preparation to deal with the effects of viral diseases in the workplace.
Epidemics
and pandemics pose particularly difficult issues for business because, unlike a
flood or terrorist bombing, the scope of impact is not immediately clear and
the circumstances have a propensity to change without notice. It is not
possible to predict how long an outbreak may last or how many waves of
infection might hit. Compared to
predicting when a fire might be extinguished or electricity restored, diseases
present companies with complex scenarios. The year 2010 ushers in hope of
economic recovery in the business climate, but winter flu season continues to
pose threats which can yank companies right back into financial crisis if
management and employees are not prepared.
In
North Central Texas, KnoWhat2Do, a committee of public safety and emergency
management officials from the 16 North Central Texas counties, which includes
Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton, encourages community members to educate
themselves on the various steps they can take to be prepared for the myriad of
threats posed to residents of the region.
In addition, the committee offers executives plans to arm their
employees with the knowledge needed to manage business continuity in the event
of an epidemic or pandemic with short-term, succession and back-up planning
before disease strikes. The KnoWhat2Do Program disseminates public safety and
preparedness tips and messages to the entire North Central Texas region and
educates the public on how to use personal responsibility to put each
individual in the best shape to weather any number of hazardous threats.
KnoWhat2Do
takes its message to the masses through billboards, radio and web
presence. But KnoWhat2Do also makes
targeted presentations to business, to walk an entire workforce through
threats, preparation and planning. Not
only do KnoWhat2Do guidelines and tips increase the confidence of individuals
as they are armed with smart life saving tools, it stands to position companies
and entities for sustaining and recovering from those unpredictable events that
could doom a company for a season or forever.
Gregg
Dawson, emergency preparedness director of North Central Texas Council of
Governments, suggests executives plan
for up to 50 percent staff absences for periods of about two weeks at the
height of a pandemic wave and lower levels of staff absence for a few weeks on
either side of the peak. This means knowing how the company will operate with a
skeleton staff and engaging in exercises that identify potential failures in
the company’s ability to continue to accomplish its essential business
activities. Key to this practice is identifying critical business functions and
the core people, skills and supplies necessary to keep the wheels turning.
It is also important to determine how a pandemic crisis may affect suppliers,
and research the availability of backup suppliers to ensure an uninterrupted
supply chain. Additional issues to
consider are protocols for telecommuting and employee travel restrictions.
Although
epidemic and pandemic contingency planning is of national concern, the
KnoWhat2Do constituents recognize that there is immense power in acting
locally. KnoWhat2Do takes the “Think Globally, Act Locally” stance by urging
North Texas citizens to consider the health of the planet and take action in
their own community.
The
Dallas/Fort-Worth Metroplex and extended region is home to upwards up 8 million
people, one of the biggest and most educated workforces in the United
States. Regional companies produce one
third of all the goods and services in Texas, and North Central Texas
approaches $60 billion annually in direct imports and exports. In addition, 25 Fortune 500 companies are
headquartered in the area. A disaster in
this region will have world-wide implications if the workforce is not prepared.
“Your
workforce is a big part of your contingency planning,” says Carlos Gomez,
KnoWhat2Do Regional Public Education Subcommittee Vice-Chair and Emergency
Management Specialist with the City of Fort Worth Office of Emergency
Management. “You need to make sure they
are taken care of and have tools they need.
If you don't have a staff that is well prepared, your plans for a big
disaster will fail. You won't have the
staff to do it or a citizenship that's willing to volunteer.”
Allen
Applegate, Regional Emergency Management Specialist at U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, has a
comprehensive plan in place to keep the agency running in the event of
significant staff losses. He augments the plan with KnoWhat2Do program
presentations. “These are the most useful presentations we offer our staff at
the local level,” said Applegate. “The information is straightforward and
easy to absorb. Because staff members have a definitive plan of action and
understand what is happening, they’re more comfortable and able to respond and
recover from the event as it happens.”
For all
involved, Applegate contends there is no better tool for preparation and response
than clear communication. Unified responses create congruency, eliminating
mistakes and conflicts. “Communicating during an emergency situation requires
developing a strategy in advance. Carefully mapped out paths will ensure all
parties are involved and they each get through the event quickly and safely,
using the resources available at the time. A failure in communications can be a
disaster, cutting off vital support needed during an emergency.”
In contingency planning, the core
components of a communication strategy include an educated and well equipped
workforce and a clearly written communication plan, tailored specifically for
each audience subgroup. The communication plan can be divided into two
categories: internal communications, which are the channels for commands,
requests, or directions by and between staff members and others associated with
the specific disaster or emergency response; and external communications, which
consist of notifications, warnings, or information disseminated to audiences
outside the company, such as the general public and customers.
As much as those businesses with large
workforces can be greatly affected, epidemics and pandemics can exact an even
heavier toll on small business. The Institute for Business & Home Safety
reported that 25 percent of small businesses never recover from a disaster, a
testament to the importance of continuity planning for small and family-owned
companies.
“Small companies have little margin for error
so illnesses can do significant harm. Having a well-conceived contingency plan
in place gives small businesses peace of mind when trouble hits and enables
them to act quickly,” said Gomez. “The steps outlined in the KnoWhat2Do program
provide small business owners with the information they need to develop an
actionable plan. It could make the difference between losing their business and
making a full recovery.”
Whether a
Fortune 500 enterprise or a small to mid size business, every company who take
the initiative to educate its workforce on the information outlined by the
KnoWhat2Do campaign stands a better chance of keeping the lights on and their
core business functions operational in a time of crisis. For more information
on how to utilize the resources and information available in North Central Texas
for workforce education and preparedness, visit http://www.knowhat2do.com/.
Think. Prepare. Act. KnoWhat2Do.