There are several unexpected business interruptions that can occur, so how do you prepare for the unknown? Business Continuity Planning. Every organization needs to have a proven business continuity plan in place, to ensure your organization continues to operate. Because business continuity planning affects all business functions, it is a huge undertaking.

When looking at possible business disruptions, there are some instances that require more planning. Our Learning Series webinar speaker, Mr. Roger Smith, lists the following major business disruptions:

1. Natural Disasters
2. Malicious Attacks – internal or terrorist attack
3. Equipment Failures
4. Human Error
5. Accidents
6. Loss of Key Personnel

 
You cannot predict when any of these disruptions will occur, so the best you can do is have a tested plan in place to help your organization get through the crisis and keep your workforce running even when your employees cannot make it to work. A key aspect of your business continuity approach is to provide employees with remote access to critical data, applications, and communication during a crisis. This means that your plan needs to be communicated to all employees to ensure successful implementation during a crisis.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August 2005, organizations and the people did not know what to do or where to go. Hurricane Katrina put a screeching halt on everything in the city. People did not have access to their bank accounts, and businesses couldn’t generate paychecks is one example. Organizations just were not prepared to continue operations regardless of the event.

Today’s comprehensive workforce management software can be used anytime, anywhere, to manage employee hours, accruals, labor distribution, multiple assignments, and scheduling. Scheduling is a critical part to business continuity, because automated scheduling ensures your organization has the right person in the right job at the right time. Scheduling technology helps fill vacant shifts when there is an unplanned absence. When an organization loses a key employee, it can put a halt to operations. Loss of production can be detrimental to any employer – and some more than others. When creating a business continuity plan, the planners need to take all aspects of loss of productivity into account. Often times, planners only think of the big disasters like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, when loss of personnel or a power outage can critically affect an organization.

Another crucial business disruption is a failure at the physical place of employment. This could be loss of power, a fire, or an accident. If this were to happen, where would you place your employees? If you run a white-collar business, your employees should already have remote access to business information to keep business operations running. If you have field employees, such as a utilities company or other service company, how can you keep them in the field? Technology may be the answer. Can your field employees access work orders remotely? Can they continue to enter hours for specific work orders or labor codes? This information is necessary for payroll compliance, especially for non-exempt employees. At the same time employers are creating a plan to keep operations running, they need a plan that ensures the employees receive their paychecks.

Don’t miss this month’s Learning Series webinar on “Business Continuity in Payroll: Are You Prepared?” Mr. Roger Smith, CPP and consultant for the PayrollProf, discusses the importance of business continuity and how to create a plan.