Organisational Resilience – Dealing With A Disease Outbreak

The following questions have been put together in conjunction with one of our insurers, Ecclesiastical, to assist you in planning and management of how you would respond to the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease. If you have positive answers to all these questions you should be well prepared to continue trading if you are affected by this disease. Certainly at Macbeth we have begun to take measures that will better enable us to work from home if required.

Dealing with Disease Outbreak – Covid-19

Planning

1. Has someone been assigned responsibility for planning and preparedness in the event of a disease outbreak?
2. Do you know where to obtain key information from e.g. Public Health England (PHE), World Health Organisation (WHO), Government, Health & Safety Executive (HSE)?
3. Do you know which stakeholders (internally and externally) you would need to consult with?
4. Have you carried out a ‘high level’ impact on your organisation e.g. financial assessment and strategic priorities?
5. Have you agreed a high level strategy and plan for your organisation?
6. Have you established authorities, triggers and procedures for implementation?

Business

1. Have you identified your organisation’s critical activities and the resources required to support them e.g. people, processes, equipment, ICT? 2 Have you considered the possible impact of employee/volunteer absences?
2. Have you considered the possible impact of disruption to your supply chain?
3. Have you considered circumstances under which you might decide to scale back or suspend operations e.g. events
4. Have you examined the likely impact of a disease outbreak on your market and on your customer requirements?
5. Do you understand the special needs of some employees/ volunteers?
6. Have you examined the extent to which others will be dependent on your organisation in the event of a disease outbreak?

Continuity

1. Have you considered cross skilling and alternative resources to keep critical activities running?
2. Are you prepared for an increase take up of employee/volunteer welfare services and support?
3. Have you prepared policies on sick leave and compassionate leave?
4. Have you made arrangements to assure supplies?
5. Have you considered the possibility of changes to your offer, your services, or your interaction with customers?
6. Have you the capability to work from home, or can you put in place facilities to make this a possibility, at least for key employees?
7. Have you prepared an emergency communications plan?

Workplace

1. Are plans to protect the workplace in line with the latest advice from key professional bodies e.g. PHE, WHO, Government, HSE? (Regular monitoring of advice is necessary). Some basic hygiene examples below.
2. Have you prepared policies on hygienic workplace behaviour?
3. Are plans in place for hand washing, hand hygiene, tissue disposal and other facilities?
4. Are plans in place for frequent and effective cleaning of the workplace?
5. Have you prepared policies on attendance by employees/ volunteers who are infected, or are suspected to be infected?
6. Have work measures been identified to reduce potential for employees/volunteers who are in the workplace to infect each other e.g. social distancing?
7. Are plans in place to reduce face to face contact with customers, suppliers and between employees/volunteers from different sites?
8. Are policies in place on flexible work locations and flexible working times?
9. Do you have the appropriate ICT infrastructure to support remote working and interaction?

Travel

1. Have you assessed the need for overseas travel, or even travel within the UK?
2. Are face to face meetings required, can meeting be carried out via online conferencing?
3. Have you people working overseas, what measures are in place to support these individuals?
4. If you have to travel what advice are you providing and what precautions are you taking to protect travellers?
5. What plans have you in place for potential quarantine upon the travellers return?

These questions are purely a guide to support an organisation’s response to a disease outbreak in order to minimise disruption.  Any disease outbreak is likely to be a fluid situation therefore it is important that specific health advice issued by key professional bodies, such as Public Health England, is considered when developing your response and that your plans are reviewed as necessary to reflect the latest advice. You can download a copy of the form from the Ecclesiastical website.

Links to relevant organisations are detailed below.

• who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
• gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
• hse.gov.uk/news/coronavirus.htm
• gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus