Business continuity planning
Coping with viral pandemics, or acts of terrorism, or lots of snow!
The risk of a Swine Flu pandemic has abated but the risk of disruption to business as a result of acts of terrorism or adverse weather conditions are still very real. So it's still important to take precautions to protect your business, and that means some business continuity planning. Take some time to evaluate all real and perceived risks so you can formulate a strategy or plan to mitigate these risks and protect your business.
You may find it helpful to consult the British Standards Institution's standard BS 25999-1:2006, developed from PAS 56. You can use this to minimise the impact of everyday events, such as IT viruses and supply chain disruption, as well as coping with extreme events, such as terrorism,or adverse weather conditions.
View our relevant webchats: Business Continuity is snow joke and Swine Flu - Is Your Business Prepared.
How you could protect your business
For businesses relying on passing trade the risk is that the footfall decreases and sales volumes fall. Maybe you can provide mail order facilities or an e-shop for online ordering?
A more fundamental risk for all businesses is the problem of staff not being able to get to work. Staff may not be able to get into work due to their own illness, those around them being ill and needing their care, as a result of disruptions to public transport due to staff illness, or as a result of individual buildings or even whole areas being made inaccessible.
Key business risk factors to consider
Your organisation is only as good as the people or businesses it depends upon to keep it running.
- How would you business carry on if the number of people working in it was severely depleted?
- What activities are fundamental to keeping the business going and what can be adapted, postponed, or even stopped all together?
- How reliant are you on your supply chain? What happens if your key supplier can’t commit to the normal delivery schedule? Do they have adequate disaster contingency planning themselves?
- It’s not always necessary for people to be physically in the office or even in the same place, but the technology and the change in working practices will need to be planned in advance.
Business continuity planning checklist
Now Let’s Get Started has put together some suggestions that you may want to consider when planning for the impact of an external disaster on your businessas a backup in an emergency. This list is not exhaustive but is intended as a guide to help you start thinking about what you may need to plan for:
- Identify a continuity coordinator and/or team. Agree and define roles and responsibilities with them.
- What are the fundamental activities undertaken by your business which would have to continue. Also identify the employees and other inputs that support those activities (e.g. raw materials, suppliers, sub-contractor services/products, logistics, process controls, security).
- Make sure your web site is kept updated with information outlining how both staff and customers can get in contact with you in an emergency situation.
- Establish policies for flexible working (e.g. another office, temporary office space, or working from home) and flexible work hours (e.g. staggered shifts).
- Consider how internal resources could be re-allocated to ensure those activities are maintained. Start some cross-functional training programmes to help prepare staff. This is good practice in any case for staff development and business contingency.
- Discuss with your suppliers/sub contractors whether they have robust business continuity plans in place.
- Consider where you could get additional workers from at short notice, such as contractors or retirees.
- Determine the potential impact of restricted travel, whether international or domestic, on your business activities. For example can you use video-conferencing or audio-conferencing instead of travelling to meetings.
- Check both your general business insurance and medical insurance policy to see what cover you have for emergency support. Get a quote for business insurance here.
Communications in an emergency
- Establish an emergency communications plan that includes who the key contacts are, and a communications plan that includes suppliers, customers and employees.
- Share best practice with other businesses in your community, as well as through industry associations.
- Emergency telephone cover: It may be possible to transfer your main telephone number to a key member of staff, or you could consider using a virtual office service.Find out how to divert your office phones
- Or consider getting a SkypeIn number that can be used in an emergency if your company phone number is out of action.
- Buy Skype for Small Business Pack here
- Set-up remote group working for sharing information and documents online. Both Microsoft and Google offer excellent tools for group working.More information on group working solutions.
View our relevant webchats: Business Continuity is snow joke and Swine Flu - Is Your Business Prepared. They provide some excellent guidance on managing your workforce as they work remotely, and how to maintain communications with them so you can run your business.
Business continuity planning
Coping with viral pandemics, or acts of terrorism, or lots of snow!
The risk of a Swine Flu pandemic has abated but the risk of disruption to business as a result of acts of terrorism or adverse weather conditions are still very real. So it's still important to take precautions to protect your business, and that means some business continuity planning. Take some time to evaluate all real and perceived risks so you can formulate a strategy or plan to mitigate these risks and protect your business.
You may find it helpful to consult the British Standards Institution's standard BS 25999-1:2006, developed from PAS 56. You can use this to minimise the impact of everyday events, such as IT viruses and supply chain disruption, as well as coping with extreme events, such as terrorism,or adverse weather conditions.
View our relevant webchats: Business Continuity is snow joke and Swine Flu - Is Your Business Prepared.
How you could protect your business
For businesses relying on passing trade the risk is that the footfall decreases and sales volumes fall. Maybe you can provide mail order facilities or an e-shop for online ordering?
A more fundamental risk for all businesses is the problem of staff not being able to get to work. Staff may not be able to get into work due to their own illness, those around them being ill and needing their care, as a result of disruptions to public transport due to staff illness, or as a result of individual buildings or even whole areas being made inaccessible.
Key business risk factors to consider
Your organisation is only as good as the people or businesses it depends upon to keep it running.
- How would you business carry on if the number of people working in it was severely depleted?
- What activities are fundamental to keeping the business going and what can be adapted, postponed, or even stopped all together?
- How reliant are you on your supply chain? What happens if your key supplier can’t commit to the normal delivery schedule? Do they have adequate disaster contingency planning themselves?
- It’s not always necessary for people to be physically in the office or even in the same place, but the technology and the change in working practices will need to be planned in advance.
Business continuity planning checklist
Now Let’s Get Started has put together some suggestions that you may want to consider when planning for the impact of an external disaster on your businessas a backup in an emergency. This list is not exhaustive but is intended as a guide to help you start thinking about what you may need to plan for:
- Identify a continuity coordinator and/or team. Agree and define roles and responsibilities with them.
- What are the fundamental activities undertaken by your business which would have to continue. Also identify the employees and other inputs that support those activities (e.g. raw materials, suppliers, sub-contractor services/products, logistics, process controls, security).
- Make sure your web site is kept updated with information outlining how both staff and customers can get in contact with you in an emergency situation.
- Establish policies for flexible working (e.g. another office, temporary office space, or working from home) and flexible work hours (e.g. staggered shifts).
- Consider how internal resources could be re-allocated to ensure those activities are maintained. Start some cross-functional training programmes to help prepare staff. This is good practice in any case for staff development and business contingency.
- Discuss with your suppliers/sub contractors whether they have robust business continuity plans in place.
- Consider where you could get additional workers from at short notice, such as contractors or retirees.
- Determine the potential impact of restricted travel, whether international or domestic, on your business activities. For example can you use video-conferencing or audio-conferencing instead of travelling to meetings.
- Check both your general business insurance and medical insurance policy to see what cover you have for emergency support. Get a quote for business insurance here.
Communications in an emergency
- Establish an emergency communications plan that includes who the key contacts are, and a communications plan that includes suppliers, customers and employees.
- Share best practice with other businesses in your community, as well as through industry associations.
- Emergency telephone cover: It may be possible to transfer your main telephone number to a key member of staff, or you could consider using a virtual office service.Find out how to divert your office phones
- Or consider getting a SkypeIn number that can be used in an emergency if your company phone number is out of action.
- Buy Skype for Small Business Pack here
- Set-up remote group working for sharing information and documents online. Both Microsoft and Google offer excellent tools for group working.More information on group working solutions.
View our relevant webchats: Business Continuity is snow joke and Swine Flu - Is Your Business Prepared. They provide some excellent guidance on managing your workforce as they work remotely, and how to maintain communications with them so you can run your business.