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Step 3. Develop your Plans >>
Pandemic Influenza
1: Identify your business’ core people and skills
In the event of a pandemic, it is important that core people and core skills are available to keep essential parts of your business operating.
The following points are designed to help you plan for this.
• What are the essential parts of the business?
• Who are the core people required to keep the essential parts of the business running and what core skills do they require?
• Are there sufficient back-ups for people and skills if there is a high level of absence?
• Are there other resources (e.g. volunteers, retirees, etc) which could be drawn on if necessary?
• Is it possible to coordinate/operate your business remotely, using telephone, fax and email?
• Who will develop and manage your pandemic contingency plan?
• Do you have any systems that rely on periodic physical intervention by key individuals to keep them going? How long would the system last without attention/maintenance?
• Do you have adequate infrastructure to support changes in business operation (e.g. computer networks or internet presence)?
Once the core people and skills are identified, ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities and how they will be managed in the event of a pandemic. Consider strategies for minimising the possibility that they become ill with influenza, such as working from home even in the very early stages of a pandemic, or other measures to reduce exposure to others who might have been exposed to the virus.
If working from home is not a well-established practice in your organisation, you may wish to encourage staff to experiment occasionally, to aid familiarity and to iron out any computer connection/technological issues. You may wish to have non-essential staff stand down if human to human transmission of the virus occurs in Australia to help minimise the number of staff who may be exposed to the influenza virus.
2: Establish a pandemic planning team
When planning for a pandemic, it is a good idea to identify one or more people in your organisation who will be responsible for planning and workplace health and safety, if your business is large enough to warrant it. Some of the roles you identify might include are:
Continuity Plan Manager
• to oversee the development of your Pandemic Influenza Plan; and
• to communicate to your staff and clients what action is being taken to prepare for a pandemic.
Influenza Manager
• to ensure your workplace has adequate supplies of tissues, medical and hand hygiene products, cleaning supplies and other relevant personal protective equipment, such as masks, for people who become ill at work or to protect them from contact with co-workers or customers—it may be difficult to purchase such products once a pandemic begins;
• to set up a system to monitor staff who are ill, or suspected to be ill, in the event of a pandemic, including contacting staff who are unexpectedly absent from work. Has their GP been notified of their illness? Do you know who they have been in contact with? Is someone able to care for them? and
• to encourage staff to return to work once they are better, or at the end of a quarantine period.
Medical Adviser
If your business does not already have one, it may be prudent to ensure that you have access to medical advice in the event of a pandemic. At the time of a pandemic, information lines will be available. Governments will likely set up fever clinics or other methods of providing medical care during a pandemic. These will be widely advertised at the time. Businesses need to be aware of their local plans for health management.
3: Plan for staff absences
Issues you may wish to consider include:
• what critical staff numbers and skills are required to keep essential sectors of the business running—at what level does business stop? What arrangements need to be made to minimise risk to staff?
• if you do not provide an essential service, who should make the decision to shut activity down when absence rates threaten safe conduct of your business?
• could some, or all, of your business operations shift to having most staff work from home with little warning?
Because an influenza pandemic may affect regions of the world differently in terms of timing, severity and duration, businesses with regional offices may need to consider rotating service delivery from hard hit areas to influenza-free areas, or areas that have been declared to be in a post-pandemic period. Restrictions on movement of people from region to region may be imposed, so rotation of staff would likely be difficult.
Businesses with overseas offices, or which use services outsourced from overseas, may be disproportionately affected. Not all countries have the means to cope with a pandemic.
Some strategies to help lessen the impact of staff absences could include:
• sharing of critical information/filing and general knowledge management (store your information in known, accessible and shared locations);
• increasing the number of staff authorised to access critical information and systems;
• identifying back-up personnel (2 or 3) for key positions;
• encouraging staff to multi-task (learning other people’s jobs);
• planning in advance how you will scale down your operations at various absenteeism levels and at what point you will suspend operations (if you do not provide essential services);
• establishing work from home policies;
• establishing leave and remuneration policies for staff unable to come to work; and
• conducting exercises to see how reduced staff levels might affect your business.
4: Consider the effects of supply shortages on operations
Shortages of supplies may occur because of increased demand during the pandemic (i.e. cleaning supplies, home-based services, etc). Pandemic planning should consider the need for ensuring adequate availability of essential supplies (e.g. stockpiling, if appropriate or securing alternate supply sources).
Shortages may also occur because of disruptions in transportation systems or the inability of suppliers to meet demands because of their own staff shortages. Many goods travel considerable distances by truck, train, ship or aircraft, and are vulnerable to disruption. Absences of workers/drivers and other transportation staff may affect both the production and delivery of needed supplies. Supply lines may also be affected by mandated or self-imposed travel restrictions (e.g. transporters unwilling to travel through, or to, infected areas). Discuss with key suppliers a plan for regular shipments in the event of shortages or disruptions in transportation systems. International air and ship movements may be disrupted in a pandemic, and this may impact on imported goods, especially if they normally arrive in freight-holds of passenger aircraft.
Businesses that rely heavily on exporting their products may be severely impacted if trade is affected and export markets are not operating fully, or significant delays are imposed. Businesses should take these issues into consideration when developing their business continuity plans.
5: Establish and maintain two-way communication
Consider communication needs and how communication channels might be maintained:
• throughout your business; and
• with government, key suppliers, key customers, and key contractors.
Two-way communication is particularly important so that you will:
• know if or when the overseas or national pandemic phase changes. This is important as it will likely be a trigger for you to take certain action in your continuity plan;
• become aware of any developments in treatments or new information about pandemic flu (e.g. medical advisories);
• know about the spread in other countries—particularly important if staff travel overseas;
• know about quarantine arrangements, if required; and
• be able to contact your staff and customers quickly if you need to get messages to them (e.g. office closures or scaling down of non essential parts of the business).
You may like to consider establishing a website where this information can be posted, group email address lists or pre-recorded phone messages.
6: Consider human resource issues
The extent of your planning in this area will depend on the nature (essential or non essential services) and size of your business or workplace (e.g. home based business or national company).
Your business planning might include:
• identification of triggers where you might decide to stay open for business or close the business (if you do not provide essential services);
• consideration of employee risks; and
• application of relevant legislation and your duty of care as an employer.
Deciding whether a workplace should stay open or close. A workplace may close through lack of staff, lack of customers, or because it presents an unacceptable level of risk to employees or others. Different industries will involve varying degrees of risk in a pandemic, and there will be varying scope for staying in operation while reducing the risk. 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. Some sectors may be able to manage the risk with relatively few restrictions, while the challenges in the service sector—including health, education, entertainment, hospitality and other industries—will be far greater. In the health sector, for example, the inherent risks will be compounded by a need to stay open to provide treatment and care.
If a workplace or business stays open during a pandemic, the usual employment safeguard, including common law and application of other requirements (e.g. Occupational Health and Safety will continue to apply). For more information on workplace safety that relates to your business in your jurisdiction contact the relevant agency.
Any risks to employees and others must be reasonable. Any employer or other person who controls the workplace has responsibility for the health and safety of employees (and others there), and to ensure that employees’ actions or inactions do not cause harm to others. Employers must take all practicable steps to mitigate the risk and protect employees, especially those at high risk, such as health care personnel, support staff and first responders (fire, police, ambulance, other emergency workers) from pandemic influenza. Employers need to actively plan to cover their risks and the risks to their workers and the public. In the event that the employer decides, or is required, to suspend business during a pandemic, it is important that the employment conditions during the business suspension are discussed with, and made clear to, employees. Those discussions may include, for example, the use of annual leave. Contractors for services will be subject to their contracts, and contract law generally.
Keep communication with staff open and frequent. In all cases, it will be useful to discuss any likely impacts with employees and others that may be affected, beforehand. Whatever agreement and clarification can be achieved before a pandemic will prove a valuable investment when a pandemic occurs. Whether workers decide to come to work depends not only on how serious they perceive the risks to be, but also on how transparent and receptive management have been during pandemic planning and what risk management strategies employers have in place. It will depend upon the effectiveness of the organisation’s risk communications. The more open and frank employers and employees can be with each other about things like the status of their health, their expectations and what decisions are likely to be taken during a pandemic, the better prepared your business will be.
Managing fear and anxiety. It is likely there will be anxiety regarding a pandemic and this is likely to contribute to increased work absence and/or increased distress to staff. The suggested ways to manage this include:
• communicate the possibility of a pandemic, and your organisation’s preparedness to manage it, very early to staff;
• discuss with staff possible health and safety issues, the potential for stand down, and leave arrangements if they are ill or need to look after children or relatives;
• have a comprehensive management plan in place which is clearly communicated to staff.
Ensure that communication management during the pandemic is part of the plan;
• activate your plan—provide clear, timely and pro-active communication to staff, including how your organisation is handling the situation;
• consider establishing a ‘communication’s tree’ so that people can keep in touch; and
• establish a process for contacting staff who have not reported to work and may be ill.
During a pandemic many of your employees will experience fear, grief and anxiety. Trauma and stress can have effects on staff and these will need to be managed. Some issues you might like to think about include:
• staff may suffer from increased fatigue and this may affect work performance;
• conflicts with co-workers may increase because of the added stress; and
• financial concerns from staff may be important to manage.
Be prepared for hostility towards fellow workers who might be perceived to be spreading the virus if they sneeze or cough. The most important thing employers can do is communicate with their staff and listen to their concerns. Employers can start by encouraging them to discuss how they have been affected by what is happening around them and can work with staff, where possible, to alleviate worries and concerns.
Supporting staff and their families. During a pandemic your staff will likely be concerned and preoccupied about the wellbeing of their families. Their commitment, or ability, to work may not be their major concern.
In many cases, childcare centres and schools may be closed temporarily and parents will need to stay at home to care for their children. Consider how you might be able to assist essential workers who are needed at work, with childcare arrangements. Consider their needs to have regular contact with their families to ensure they are safe and well (e.g. providing periods during the day they can go home to check on their family.)
Staff may also have family members who are ill and need to be cared for at home. Consider if there is any support or assistance you are able to offer. Many larger businesses may already have access to counselling services, which would be an essential element of business recovery following a pandemic. Consider how your business would benefit from such services.
7: Test your plan and know when to activate it
Once you have developed your continuity plan to help prepare your business for a possible pandemic, it is worthwhile to test your plan. This way you will know how well it might work in a real situation and if you have overlooked anything. Having well rehearsed plans in place can help you know when to activate all, or some sections, in your business continuity plan.
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