Warning: include(/home/icharter/public_html/disposableEvery day the media seems to feature an increasing number of stories of the relentless approach of a bird flu pandemic. It seems almost inevitable that the pandemic will strike in the next few years, maybe as early as this winter. ) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/icharter/public_html/disposable/templates/typeB.php on line 162

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '/home/icharter/public_html/disposableEvery day the media seems to feature an increasing number of stories of the relentless approach of a bird flu pandemic. It seems almost inevitable that the pandemic will strike in the next few years, maybe as early as this winter. ' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/icharter/public_html/disposable/templates/typeB.php on line 162

Bird flu pandemic planning

Every day the media features an increasing number of stories about the relentless approach of a bird flu pandemic. With experts believing that a pandemic is likely to hit human populations as soon as this winter.

While it is unlikely that an outbreak will cause a doomsday scenario, it could spell the end of many business who are not prepared to deal with the changes that will occur.

1. Remote working

Prepare your staff for remote working. Ensure that key personnel have laptops (and know how to use them!). If your company relies extensively on an intranet then a VPN (Virtually Private Network) will ensure they can access it from home. Even if your company does have a VPN measures should be take to ensure that it can cope with 80% of your workforce logging on.

Remote working also includes the ability for staff to redirect their office numbers and collect voicemail. The key purpose is to allow business to continue as usual, while removing any risk for your employees.

2. Communicating your plan

If the worst should happen you will need to a clear communication plan to let staff know what to do. "Should they come in to work, or stay at home?" This is the basic question and needs to be answered as soon as any event occurs. A reliable channel should be established, while it might be easy to post a message on your website or corporate website, how many employees check it before coming to work? In these circumstances a "push" channel is often better, such as text message alerts. A reliable method is to have all managers call their direct reports and inform them.

3. Customer facing staff

Things are a lot more complicated for retail businesses, as remote working is not an option. In such circumstances a balance must be met, between safeguarding your employees health and ensuring that goods are available for sale (this is particularly important for retailers of critical supplies such as food and medicines).

As with all contingency planning, taking simple and reasonable steps is often the best way. A contingency plan for Bird flu can also be used for any number of other similar events, including natural disasters and labor disputes.