WorldConsul’s Assessment of the Coronavirus Pandemic, February 27, 2020
During the last pandemic, I was on the committee responsible for preparedness for the U.S. State Department- 50,000 employees around the globe- planning for the 2009 Swine Flu. Here are the due diligence steps you need to take to make sure your company is ready for the COVID-19 coronavirus worst case in the short to mid term:
First, and most important: good information and planning.
Every employee needs to know about how to stay safe and healthy, and what your organization’s plans and current status are. There needs to be one central place where the best information is available, and backup ways to access that information. Repeat the core message often, and reinforce it through several media types: online, verbally, through small and large meetings (though not if the infection is already spreading, obviously), posters and whiteboards, and even mail/written notices. Your top priority is to feed your staff updated, correct information. And to help them help themselves stay at home if they are sick, because current information is that each sick employee will potentially make 2-3 others sick on average.
Current best information: the COVID-19 coronavirus causes 2-3% mortality (mostly among the already-ill and elderly), and is 2-3 times easier to transmit than the common flu, via contact or up to 6 feet from an infected person. Symptoms are mostly mild, but run from none to severe (coughing, fever, difficulty breathing) Worst case: there is the potential, by no means highly probable, that many people could get sick at the same time in the coming months, leading to weeks, or even months of widespread illness, absenteeism, and strain on the supply chain and other core aspects of the economic infrastructure. People could become afraid to leave home or have to care for sick family members, or become afraid to visit public spaces like transport or work. Cities will potentially be more effected than other areas. The best source for information is at the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html, and your local health department.
In the worst case- worst case- depending on how the virus spreads, up to half of your employees could be absent for several weeks, over several months. You will need an emergency preparedness committee to make sure your core business can continue- information and coordination, operations, cash flow, payroll, logistics, supply chain, management and supervision, maintenance, security, etc. Or what your tripwires are for closing up shop temporarily, and when and how to restart. Risk management: don’t panic but this must be planned for based on both likelihood (unlikely) and severity (possibly severe) if it could have a critical impact on your business or your customers.
The best way to fight the coronavirus is through simple, but disciplined public health measures; the top three are frequent hand washing, social distancing (six feet for this virus), and staying at home if sick.
For the organization, telework to let your employees to work from home if they or their families are ill is a very wise way to assure work will continue. Maximize teleconferences and telework. Have your employees trained and set up their home offices as soon as possible. Have a practice “work from home day” to troubleshoot.
Stop shaking hands- even the fist bump isn’t a great idea. Don’t have a lot of person to person meetings; practice phone etiquette, skype meetings, and teleconferences. Keep employees over 6 feet apart, even if you have to move desks or do shifts. Is your HVAC system working well?
Who are your essential employees?
Identify your key employees, without whom your core work can’t get done. Redundant means of communication are a good idea: get land lines installed now; cell systems can be overwhelmed in times of acute crisis, or fail. Medium range handheld radios are inexpensive but require training and maintenance.
Cross-training: make sure there is at least one backup for each key employee, and that they know and can contact each other. No one has the only key, file, password, signature, etc.
Housekeeping and computer techs are critical employees- are they prepared?
Even if no one else shows up for work physically, your computers probably have to be maintained. Review your contracts and policies. Do you have enough loyal staff to show up to make sure the rest of your employees can communicate and telework?
Is your housekeeping department supplied with cleaners that will kill the virus? With hand sanitizer for each employee? With gloves and masks for their safety? Does your staff have designated clean and dirty sinks? Training to keep splashes and droplets to a minimum, stay safe, handle biowaste safely, thoroughly sanitize door knobs, phones, computer keyboards, copy machine keypads, and especially the bathrooms and kitchens and keep a checklist? Management reviews each checklist daily?
Disposable paper towels and trashcans with foot-operated lids are safer than air hand-dryers. Trashcans need disposable liners for the time being. Imagine you’re temporarily running a hospital or clinic, think heightened hygiene and sanitation (but not sterile operating room- don’t panic). Do you have enough cleaning and housekeeping supplies? Are cleaners/disinfectants highly effective against coronaviruses on most surfaces?
Physical security- if emergency responders are sick/ overtaxed, do you have adequate security to deal with social unrest, looting, fires, etc? Imagine a post-hurricane scenario lasting several weeks, in terms of security, worst case.
Checklist:
Information and Communications:
- one main and at least two backup means of communicating the best and most updated information on public health and your specific enterprise
- preparedness committee
Critical employees:
- Critical employees identified and know who they are
- Cross training: at least one employee who can back up another; no one employee has the only key, folder, signing authority, etc.
- Consider a “phone tree” so employees can get critical messages, notify their supervisors if ill; share multiple contact info including physical addresses
Emergency preparedness committee to make sure your core business can continue
- Administration and Executive, Policy
- information and coordination
- operations
- HR
- cash flow and payroll
- supply chain and transportation
- management and supervision
- etc.
Health and Safety:
- hand washing, hand sanitizers widely encouraged/available
- social distancing
- cover coughs, sneezes
- stay home if sick
- health officer to send sick employees home or to medical care
- HVAC- air flow, filtration?
- physical security if first responders become sick/ overwhelmed
Supply Chain and logistics
- Are you ready for supply chain problems for days, weeks, even a few months?
- alternate suppliers
- transportation, logistics disruptions
- cash flow
- etc.
Procurement
- supplies for housekeeping and employees
- paper towels, kleenix, hand sanitizers, gloves, masks
- waste baskets with liners, trash bags
- disinfectants that can reliably kill the COVID-19 virus on all surfaces
- soap
- stocked vending machines, kitchen
- first aid, sick room, no-contact thermometer to assess fever
Housekeepers:
- review contracts and hire additional staff if necessary, incentives for attendance
- training: safe and thorough cleaning, sanitizing, health and safety, check lists
- safe use of sanitizers
- disposable masks, gloves, wipes, etc.
- clean and dirty sinks
- safe disposal of waste
Computer staff:
- keep computers up and running even in emergency conditions
- backup power, off site backup server capacity?, backed-up critical data
- carrots and sticks to make sure your staff keeps the computers running and ready for large numbers of teleworkers
Medical
- Do you have a health nurse or occupational healthcare contractor?
- Can they help review your plans, sit on your preparedness committee, and review your employee information updates?
- Do they have supplies and a protocol for assessing and treating ill employees and sending them home safely?
About the author: Michael Richards MBA, U.S. Consul (Retired) was part of the interdepartmental committee charged with coordinating U.S. Department of State world-wide preparations for the Swine Flu epidemic in 2009. Currently a consultant, he has an MBA in healthcare policy and administration and was an emergency healthcare provider for nearly 20 years.
Let WorldConsul know if you’d like an emergency plan customized for your organization, or if you need an assessment of the likely impacts of the Pandemic on you, your family, or your organization.
P.S. U.S. Senators sold stock after a mid-February briefing on the Pandemic. WorldConsul is proud that this analysis from open sources was available just two weeks after this, well before lawmakers made this intelligence public. On February 27, Pres. Trump claims the coronavirus will “disappear” eventually. https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-02-27-20-intl-hnk/index.html
Tags: Pandemic
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