Swine Flu - Is your Company Prepared for the Worst?

Is the Swine Flu (H1N1) scare media hype or a real disaster on the horizon? In this day of 24/7 news cycles and endless commentary about the elections or the economy, its easy to feel overwhelmed by yet another barrage of news, this time focused on the latest confirmed Swine flu case. It’s tempting to look at the low number of cases in the US as well as the severity and believe that the whole situation is overblown. As a business leader, you may feel the risk is too small to devote significant resources to preparation. I caution against this approach. History suggests that most pandemic flu outbreaks start in the spring with relatively mild symptoms. The flu then appears to disappear during the summer months. Unfortunately, history also shows that the virus has the potential to mutate into a deadlier strain and then stage a dramatic reappearance in the fall. With this in mind, as we head into the summer months, consider this an opportunity to establish and test Continuity of Business (COB) plans.

Factors to consider:

1. How will your business operate with significant staff disruption?
2. How many key operations can be conducted remotely?
3. Do you have communication plan to coordinate staff?
4. How will the business function if key vendors are unable to meet their obligations?
5. How will communications be maintained with customers?

I encourage readers to post their own thoughts and observations as to ways to best prepare for what may be an event of historic proportions later this year.

An excellent resource on the history of the 1918 Pandemic: Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 & the Search for the Virus That Caused It by Gina Kolata