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Making Your Business Immune to Swine Flu
By Marc Tracy
Last week, our very own Michael Taylor told us why times of crisis or potential crisis--whether 9/11 or the swine flu scare--make him glad that he is his own boss and that he works at a small business rather than a large corporation.
Big business or small, though, there are precautions worth taking as we continue to learn more about the swine flu (although--knock on wood--most signs suggest that the disease is nowhere near as serious or spreadable as some initially feared). The Washington Post offers a good rundown today:
-Food Lion is considering having delivery drivers not help unload their trucks, presumably to ensure that only carefully audited and sanitized Food Lion employees handle foodstuffs. Smart!
-Marriott's corporate headquarters has taken President Obama's famous urging of Americans to wash their hands a step further, urging not just washing but also posting signs that instruct employees of proper handwashing technique (rinse, soap, and rub for 20 seconds--we want to hear you counting!). Thorough!
-Booz Allen Hamilton's headquarters has set up a makeshift swine flu tracking station. Possibly excessive!
More broadly, the emphasis seems to be on implementing the following maxim: "preserve continuity of operations and prepare social distancing policies." The article translates: "Be ready for employees to be sick or unable to get to their desks because they need to care for their children." This sounds about right to us. A quick first step might be making sure that any employee is able to telecommute with great ease--even if they are just feeling a little under the weather, as though they may have something contagious, it might be a good idea to have them work from home.
Actually, having employees who might have something contagious work from home sounds to us like a pretty good idea even in the absence of a pandemic scare! Which brings us to our final point: just as you hopefully would with any other potential challenge to your business, try to look at all of this as an opportunity--to innovate, to increase efficiency, and the like. In protecting your business from swine flu, you may end up inadvertantly protecting it from some unknown obstacle down the road.
Comments (0)May 5, 2009 1:36 PM
