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PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS FOR BUSINESSES

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13.1            Good communications management is critical to business operations. From a practical standpoint, here are several initiatives which should be considered:

13.1.1            Enabling staff to work from home. This is no doubt the single most prolific initiative any Company can take to ensure staff can continue to operate, regardless of whether they are staying at home to protect themselves from infection, whether they are caring for others, or whether they are well again after infection but are still quarantined and unable to return to the office.

13.1.2            This initiative is also the most controversial as most employers prefer staff to come to work as there are few controls employers have over employees when they working from home.

13.1.3            Regardless, the arguments for working from home outweigh the arguments against it, particularly in times of crisis when the employee is unlikely to come to work anyway.

13.1.4            Do a risk assessment to identify staff who are critical to business operations. Some of those require a physical presence in the office and some do not. Those who are critical but do not require a physical presence should be equipped to work from home and trained to use the equipment.

13.1.5            Staff working from home will require electronic access to email, websites, files, programmes and other communications so that they may continue seamlessly with their work.

13.1.6            Divert landline calls and messages. Callers need not even know their call has been diverted from an office number to a home number then back to an office number.

13.1.7            Install phone equipment which allows for communications to be diverted, or if current communications equipment already includes this function, ensure all staff are re-briefed on how the equipment operates. Consider re-fresher training by the equipment provider.

Meetings should be held using conference calling equipment. Conference calling equipment is not expensive and can handle a large number of participants. Using a computer to make conference calls, international and local is becoing very common and there are many free and paid for products to choose from.

Conference calls for both local and international should be encouraged now so people are more comfortable and ready trained when the need becomes serious.

13.1.8            Install two-way videoconferencing or use conference calling services for those who's job requires visual communications. Consider offering (for free) to install videoconferencing equipment in top client offices so that your Company representative can communicate visually with your client's representative. Consider the same for critical suppliers.

13.1.9            As with any remote system access, ensure system security protocols are in place and that systems are robust and scaleable to handle the additional workload when remote working initiatives are called upon.

13.1.10         Consider enlisting the assistance of outsourced IT professionals if there is no internal department responsible.

13.2            On more general communications management issues, it is strongly recommended that employers should discuss this possibility of business closure with their staff, staff representatives and contractors as part of their preparedness planning. This discussion should include identifying whether services can be delivered outside of the workplace in a way that does not pose any health and safety risk, and implementing methods of communicating workplace closure to employees.

13.3            In the event that the employer decides, or is required to, suspend business during a pandemic, it is important that the employment conditions during the business suspension are discussed with, and made clear to, employees. Those discussions may include, for example, the use of annual leave.

13.4            Contractors for services will be subject to their contracts, and contract law generally.

13.5            If a workplace or business stays open during a pandemic, employment relations legislation will continue to apply according to the circumstances.

13.6            Keep communications Open and Frequent. In all cases, it will be useful to discuss any likely impacts with employees, unions and others that may be affected beforehand. Whatever agreement and clarification can be achieved before a pandemic will prove a valuable investment should the emergency occur.

13.7            It is likely there will be anxiety regarding a pandemic and this is likely to contribute to increased work absence and/or increased distress to staff. The suggested ways to manage this include:

13.7.1               Communicate the possibility of a pandemic - and the Organisation’s preparedness to manage it - very early to staff.

13.7.2               Discuss with staff possible health and safety issues, potential for stand down, and leave arrangements if they are ill or need to look after those who are or who have been "shut out" of childcare and school, etc.

13.7.3               Have the comprehensive communications management plan in place and clearly communicated to staff. Ensure that communications management during the pandemic is part of the plan. It will be important to have systems in place to allow communications in a pandemic.

13.7.4               In activating the plan, provide clear, timely and pro-active communications to staff, including how the organisation is handling the situation.

13.7.5               Establish a "communications tree" to ensure efficient communicaion response is maintained.

13.8            Ensure the following policy guidelines are in place for communicating with staff.

13.8.1               Make all communications timely and honest. Do not 'cover up' as cover ups never work and they would serve only to erode credibility and trust.

13.8.2               Make sure information comes from the organisation first.

13.8.3               Simultaneous to all

13.8.4               Staff Awareness

13.8.5               Objective and Subjective assessments

13.8.6               Inform workforce simultaneously

13.8.7               Give bad news all at once

13.8.8               Provide opportunity for Questions

13.8.9               Regular updates and give time for next update

13.8.10            Methods of communications management

13.8.11            Draft notices in advance when possible

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