Problems caused by snow and ice underline importance of business continuity planning.
The repercussions of a crisis such as that caused by the recent snow and ice – the worst seen for nearly 30 years – on your business can be far-reaching, as employment issues, supply chain difficulties and the threat of further disruption become harsh realities.
The Business Link website features a guide that will help businesses identify potential risks, make preparations for emergencies and test how their business is likely to cope in a disaster, such as heavy snowfall or flooding. Visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/southwest/continuityplanning
Here are Business Link’s top tips for employers to help them plan for a crisis:
- Plan thoroughly – failure to plan could be disastrous. At best you risk losing customers while you’re getting your business back on its feet. At worst your business may never recover and may ultimately cease trading altogether.
- Identify any threats – every business is different, and every business will have its own set of potential threats to its continuity, including the weather, theft or vandalism, fuel shortages, IT systems failures, loss of key staff and supply chain problems.
- Assess impact – once you’ve identified your threats, try to think of some worst-case scenarios and their impact on your operation.
- Minimise impact – draw up the necessary steps you will need to take to protect your business functions from your worst case scenarios.
- Plan how you will deal with a crisis – draw up a business continuity plan setting out in writing how you will cope if a crisis occurs. It should detail the key business functions you need to get operating as quickly as possible (and the resources you will need to do so) and outline the roles of individuals in an emergency.
Read our guide, Crisis management and business continuity planning
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