On Sunday, Secretary Napolitano declared an Emergency of Preparedness, stating, ‘…we’re preparing in an environment where we really don’t know ultimately what the size or seriousness of this outbreak is going to be.’
I agree that this declaration is needed because most organizations are not well prepared for a Pandemic flu outbreak. Studies show that organizations need to have pandemic plans that address workforce absenteeism rates of 40 percent or higher.
What if 40% of your employees were staying home because:
1) They are home sick
2) Family Members are sick
3) Schools are closed
4) Employees fear becoming sick
What if your vendors are unavailable due to travel restrictions/sick employees?
What if your partners are unavailable due to travel restrictions/sick employees?
What if your employees are unable to travel and make sales calls due to quarantines/border restrictions?
If your organization allows employees to work remotely, how do you know if people are receiving communications?
How can you ensure that all appropriate personnel have access to pandemic flu plans and procedures and understand their roles and responsibilities?
Gaps in communications and coordination efforts must be addressed sooner than later. Has your organization reviewed or updated your pandemic flu plan recently? Are you prepared?