The outbreak of Coronavirus (named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization) remains a major disruption that could affect business operations for months. As with SARS, MERS and H1N1, the new coronavirus causes vulnerability, fear and anxiety, especially when employees think that they may be exposed to them at work.

Employees aren’t just concerned about their physical safety, they are also worried about potential job disruptions and how organisations will continue to manage their operations. Virus outbreaks can impact your human capital (Amongst other things) and could take months to correct, so at the very least, plan for absenteeism.

Most companies regularly perform crisis simulations to determine their readiness prior to a real event. They set expectations for communication and response times, and define clear roles for each member of these teams during a crisis. Here are two steps to you can take to prepare:

• Identify key business functions. Pinpoint functions impacted directly by “surge” activities that arise or increase during an outbreak or if a pandemic occurs. Always prioritize customer and contractor connections that you need to cultivate as long as possible.
• Identify key roles, activities and skill sets. Build operational resilience by increasing company strength in critical areas and geography, and consider distributing important roles and functions in the event that one office has to temporarily suspend operations.

More importantly, in order to ensure that employees, shareholders and other stakeholders believe the organization is prepared and equipped to deal with a crisis, make sure you answer these 10 questions:

1. Can our company operate with 25% or greater absenteeism?
2. If illness causes high absenteeism, are employees cross-trained and able to perform multiple duties?
3. Can our employees work remotely?
4. What infrastructure support is needed to support a shift to an at-home workforce?
5. Will our company monitor, or even restrict, travel to high-risk regions?
6. What procedures do we have in place to decontaminate the facility and its heating, ventilation, air-conditioning systems, electronic equipment and soft materials (blankets, curtains, etc.)?
7. What assurances do we need to provide to the facility staff members so they feel safe at work?
8. How will traveling employees be brought home, particularly if they are sick?
9. Are there escalation procedures to get additional resources?
10. Is there a trained and representative crisis management team that includes on-call staff, and do those team members know what is expected of them?

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