No doubt you will have a plan in place for your business in case of emergency. If you are a glass half full person this is likely to be called business continuity, or for those more risk averse, it could be known as risk management.
Either way, I am sure you will have covered all the bases to ensure your business keeps going in times of crisis.
Or have you?
We can so easily get bogged down in the nitty gritty of making sure our IT systems will continue to function, and we have access to the information we need, that we can easily forget about the people.
Unless you have identified an alternative site to work from, initially you may require your team to work from home. This can be hugely challenging for some people, who may have disruption at home, intermittent broadband connection, and find it difficult to motivate themselves.
Suddenly moving from being part of a team to working alone can be quite problematic, so it is vital that someone is charged with keeping the troops rallied.
In larger businesses, this may well fall under HR’s hat, but if that doesn’t apply in your company, you need to find one of your management team to take this on.
As with so much around managing people, communication is absolutely crucial.
So set up a regular bulletin notifying everyone at the same time about latest updates to the situation, and what to expect.
Don’t leave your team isolated for too long – set up conference calls, and meetings so they can talk face to face. Encourage teams to find solutions that work for them – maybe meeting at a business centre or even catching up at home.
Try not to become so tied up in the physical resolution of the crisis that you forget your people – after all they are the lifeblood of your business.
For help with integrating your team into your business continuity plan, please contact us on 01256 328 428.