Worst Case Scenario—Preparing for a Pandemic

A pandemic event could drastically change the face of both business and our culture. Today, the big threat is swine flu; last year it was avian flu, and in recent years the threat has been SARS, the West Nile Virus, and several others.

The 20th century saw three highly significant pandemics:

  • The Spanish Flu of 1918, when at least 20 percent of the world’s population was infected and more than 675,000 people in the U.S. died. Estimates of the worldwide impact range from 20 to 50 million human deaths.
  • The Asian Flu of 1957, when influenza A (H2N2) was first identified in China and spread to the United States, where it caused around 70,000 deaths. Worldwide, it killed approximately two million people.
  • The Hong Kong Flu of 1968, when the flu strain H3N2 descended from H2N2 and spread to the United States, where it caused almost 34,000 deaths. Worldwide, it killed almost one million people.

It is possible that we have not suffered through a pandemic the scale of 1918-’19 because we now have a better understanding of how to respond to the initial outbreak. It’s also possible that we’ve been lucky. Although none of the threats in this century have escalated to a true pandemic, they serve as reminders that we need to prepare for a disease that could strike viciously at the global community.

In the Event of an Emergency

Cautionary behaviors to protect people’s health extend beyond the workplace, and benefit everyone. WHO (the World Health Organization) suggests using “social distancing” to reduce the possibility of spreading virus. Some examples of social distancing are:

  • Don’t shake hands, or replace handshakes with an “elbow bump.”
  • Restrict elevator use (where possible or practical).
  • Reduce the number of face-to-face meetings and use teleconferencing and e-mail (whenever possible) instead.
  • Eliminate hoteling (work station sharing).

These steps, plus the following recommendations from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), should be communicated to all staff:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick; if you are sick, make every effort to avoid close contact.
  • When you are sick or have flu symptoms, stay at home and get plenty of rest.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing; if a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your sleeve near your armpit area; do not cough or sneeze into your hands.
  • Keep your hands clean, wash frequently, and use alcohol-based wipes or gel sanitizers when soap and water are not available.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Follow general good health habits—get plenty of sleep, maintain physical activity, drink plenty of fluids, eat healthy foods, and avoid smoking.

A Different Type of Emergency Requires a Different Type of Preparedness

Property and facility managers have traditionally implemented disaster preparedness plans to respond to sudden but limited events, such as a fire, riot, terrorist attack, or weather-related emergencies. A pandemic presents a different type of challenge. While other businesses may be able to have contingency plans for employees to work from off-site locations, it would be difficult for building and facility staff to protect, maintain, and operate their property from another location.

To plan properly, you will need to establish an emergency response team. The team should include staff from all levels, both for planning and emergency response. Use a broad cross section of people from throughout your organization, and keep the focus on those with expertise vital to regular business functions. Include at least two people from each group. Define crisis management procedures and individual responsibilities in advance, with a back-up person identified and trained for each responsibility.

You will need to assess how your company functions, both internally and externally, and determine the staff, materials, procedures, and equipment absolutely necessary for continuous operations. Review your business process flow chart, if one exists, and identify critical operations. Develop contingency plans for payroll, financial decision making, and accounting systems to track and document costs. Establish a succession of management and, if possible, include at least one person at another location.

Recovery in a Box

Access to information is vital. You should have copies of critical documents and computer files stored at an off-site location. Critical supplies may also be housed off-site. Commercial storage facilities often have climate-controlled and secure areas for storage. Consider creating a recovery box for your business or business unit and storing it off-site. This box should contain items you will need if your facility is not accessible, and could include:

  • Copies of forms you will need immediately or daily.
  • Copies of procedure manuals and other critical documents.
  • A store of unique supplies necessary for daily operations.

Be prepared for the opportunity to enter your facility for a short time. If allowed restricted or time-limited access, be prepared with a list of critical items in order of importance. This list would likely include electronic files, computers, certain paper files, and work in progress.

You will need to have personnel location forms updated daily, as well as plans for staff members to contact a centralized location to report on their status. For staff who are able and required to perform business functions, you will need to have status report forms that document their tasks and track their progress on any given function. These forms should be distributed to staff before an emergency occurs and should be stored off-site. Staff members who can continue working should also report on a regular basis to a controlling centralized location.

Communication is key to business continuity. Employees will cooperate the most when pandemic response planning and decision-making processes are transparent and accessible. Policy makers must be fully accountable. Some extra steps to take to help ensure continuity include:

  • Update contact information for employees.
  • Establish sick day policies that discourage sick employees from coming to work.
  • Sponsor an influenza vaccination program and consider a pneumonia vaccination program.
  • Educate all staff on the necessity of proper sanitation practices.
  • Monitor updates and bulletins from the CDC, WHO, and local health agencies.
  • Have multiple forms of communication of pertinent information in case a system fails or is temporarily inaccessible.
  • Gauge the possible demand on local public health facilities and consider arranging private contracts.
  • Stockpile personal protection equipment and essential hygiene products.
  • Plan to set up monitoring devices or stations at entrance and exit points.

You must have a management succession plan in place. Establish a chain of command that responds fully and quickly to each stage of the situation. Know who to turn to when a key member of management falls ill or is not available. Create a formal crisis leadership team.

It is important to have:

  • A plan and process for the chain of succession.
  • Identification of, and assignments for, substitutes.
  • Identification of operational dependencies and planned redundancies.
  • Identification of critical business processes and a plan for keeping them moving forward in the event of an interruption (documentation must be available for substitutes).
  • Identification of essential employees and a cross-training regimen.
  • Identification of an ancillary workforce.
  • Knowledge of local markets.
  • Good relationships with vendors.
  • Arrangements with back-up suppliers of goods and services.

Action towards business continuity and recovery should address the needs of your organization’s people. Actions that businesses can take during a pandemic to increase employee comfort, safety, and loyalty include:

  • Providing accurate and timely communications regarding the state of the crisis/outbreak, thus reducing confusion about the company’s functional status.
  • Making sure staff is paid on time, and paid the correct amount, thereby lessening. economic concerns during this highly stressful period.
  • Providing transportation and childcare, thus relieving logistical personnel problems during an outbreak.
  • Rewarding staff that performs well during the crisis in order to promote future loyalty.
  • Providing aftercare accommodations for staff beyond the pandemic with the understanding that a widespread crisis will have long-term stress and trauma ramifications.

By addressing the intense personal needs of employees during a pandemic, businesses can allow employees to commit themselves to efforts that will allow for business continuity and survival.

Controlling the Aspects beyond Your Control

The time to talk with your business partners about the continuity plans they have in place is before the pandemic strikes. As a matter of practice, part of the assessment process after an outbreak should be contacting business partners, tenants, and suppliers to get information on their status. Communication is always vital to keep business running. In recovering from a pandemic, this will be especially important.

Other actions that can be helpful in both continuity and recovery include:

  • Developing a communications plan that includes contact information for suppliers, customers, and employees, as well as a process for contacting these individuals.
  • Testing communication systems and protocols to be used in case of an outbreak, and making contingency plans for these communication systems with employees, customers, and suppliers.
  • Establishing and publicizing a website and dedicated phone line to be used to convey vital information to business partners and employees during an outbreak event.
  • Establishing channels of remote access to business materials, including the transference of phone lines, for employees who can work off-site.
  • Developing as much online automation and teleconferencing as possible in order to keep business flowing even if you, your partners, or customers are locked down by an outbreak.

Business as Usual

The actions you take before and during pandemic events will directly impact your organization’s ability to return to business as usual. It is important to recognize the human aspects to a pandemic; people have legitimate family and community responsibilities, and continuity and recovery planning needs work with these realities. You should also expect people to be concerned about contracting the disease; this is natural and will likely be a widespread worry. It is also important to remember that a pandemic will not likely cause a complete business shutdown. Regardless of the extent of the outbreak, your continuity plans should enable you to keep your business open as long as possible, or right through the pandemic.

More Information

Content in this article is based on a webcast titled “Pandemic Preparedness and Response for Property and Facility Managers,” presented by BOMI International in response to concerns of avian flu in 2007 and 2008. This article is not at all a complete guide to pandemic preparedness, however. In response recent international events, BOMI International has made this 72-minute presentation available to view free of charge. Click here to access the recorded webcast.