If you do not have a business continuity plan in place then consider how best to make your organisation more resilient while the plan is being developed. Some initial planning and actions could be undertaken:
- Cross-training of skills amongst the workforce
- Documenting procedures so that delegated staff can perform unfamiliar tasks
- Agree relocation options both within and outside the premises (eg meeting rooms that could be quickly converted to work areas).
- Nominated contingency staff familiarised with any response planning
- Remote access to IT systems in nominated back-up locations or staff homes
- Alternative sources of production equipment
- Secure/off-site storage of data back-ups and valuable documentation
- Agreed methods for out of hours contacts for staff, suppliers, clients, etc
- Provision of ‘emergency packs’ include key documents and items that may be needed by those who manage from an incident room or work with the emergency services
- Agree a communication plan for keeping both internal and external audiences informed in incident