News and Views from the world of Learning and Development

09/07/2007 - Flood? What Flood? (Business Continuity Planning)

That Monday! For us, it was quite extraordinary; I have seen rain like that before but never for 6 hours! Our pond rose by 5½ inches in those 6 hours - unbelievable.

At first (the photo was taken at 10am), it was interesting, then curious as to when it would stop; then I heard about the young man in Hull who was stuck in a drain; then I heard that he had drowned; then I saw the water coming up our drive; then I saw that all the neighbours' gardens were flooded to their doorsteps - now I was getting worried.

Not so much about the potential flood risk to the office and home but for how are our contractors going to get around? How is Gill going to get back? What about the business delivery tomorrow? What about the risk to data storage? And so on.

But now, the water has gone, the road between Barrow and Barton has finally re-opened (yesterday), there are 30 houses in the village that were flooded and under repair, but apart from these houses - you drive around and wonder - what flood?

However, those families have lost their homes and contents, many businesses, especially in Hull, will not re-open - even though they had insurance that will pay out, and the jobs and livelihoods they provided are lost, adding to the distress of the moment.

Many businesses though will survive, partly because they had insurance, but almost certainly because they had good Contingency Planning - they considered the 'what ifs?'

Have you?

If you have not considered the 'what ifs?' for your business, then come high winds, rains storms, extreme heat - will your business survive?

Developing a contingency plan is not rocket science; it is quite a simple thing.

In a report produced by the Chartered Management Institute in association with the Civil Contingencies Secretariat at the (UK) Cabinet Office, which compiled from the views of 1,150 individuals, and examined the UK's 'readiness for disruption to business', it showed 'UK plc' demonstrating an 'alarming lack of readiness and an insular view of disaster'.

This 2006 Business Continuity Management Survey shows that, despite past large and recent disasters affecting UK organisations and businesses:

• less than 50% of UK organisations have a business continuity plan in place:
  • 77% of managers believe business continuity is viewed as 'important' by their senior management teams; however, only 49 per cent say their organisation has a business continuity plan in place;
  • 37% of those with plans test them at least once a year. A worrying fact as 79% of those who tested them, have revealed shortcomings in their plans;
• inanimate objects are still the key focus for protection, even though a business can't run without people:
  • 92% believe they would suffer disruption caused by higher levels of absenteeism and illness in an influenza pandemic, yet the majority, 83%, do not have robust plans to cope with this absence;
• employees, suppliers and stakeholders don't know what to do in the event of a disaster:
  • 1 in 10 organisations with plans share these with suppliers and shareholders, while just 1 in 5 communicate this information to customers - despite being cited as key drivers for creating Business Continuity Plans.
  • 7% require all suppliers to have a Business Continuity Plan with 37% of organisations requiring only business-critical suppliers to have plans;

So what to do?

1. Carry out some sort of review as to the threats and risks that could cause your operation serious disruption;
2. Develop a plan to provide contingencies and continuity should the identified risks become a reality;
3. Inform your staff, customers and suppliers of your plans and the contingencies - especially communications, power and transport issues, because these are generally the most significant areas of risk and vulnerability;
4. Seek input from all interested parties and where advantageous and sensible, and modify and integrate your plans with the plans of other connecting groups and organisations;

You could also call us - obviously! We can help you to develop these plans by chairing a management meeting with the expressed purpose of identify the risks and developing a plan.

If you need help with your Business Continuity Planning, Contact Us here: Contact Form & Web Site Email;

Please use our Contact Form to request further information.

Author: Gary Payne, The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd