Don't panic! Make your plans.
Watching the soon to be announced pandemic evolve and seeing the financial markets react has been interesting.
There is still time to make plans to minimize the impact of a mass health event. Here are some things to consider:
At the office
Many offices have staff that travel. It is no longer China that is risky, the number of countries is growing rapidly and the number of individual cases is skyrocketing. As people gather together, the risk of passing an infection increases. Additionally, meetings with clients, vendors, and peers also pose the risk of passing infections. Its a mess.
There are things your organization can do to remediate and reduce risk.
Technology
Implementing more cloud solutions for common tools like email, chat, and phones. Using as cloud service allows your staff to remain functional by working from home. Email and chat is easy, but have you considered using phone call forwarding to allow your staff to work from home? Did you know there are phone services out there that allow you to obtain a new phone number your office phone would forward to and then allow your staff to receive those calls at home? Does your company offer Virtual Private Network (VPN) services? If you had a VPN server, your staff could simply work from home and remain connected to your office networks.
- chat
- phone
- virtual private networking
Concerns about work productivity should evaporate when considered against guaranteed zero productivity if your staff stays home with no remote work option. There are many studies that show remote workers are actually more productive.
Kids in school
Many of your fellow team members have children under 18. When and if their child's schools close to prevent more spreading of infection your staff will be forced to accommodate and may need to stay home. Does your company have plans for how to manage the current workload and re-assignments to ensure your company delivers its good and services on time?
Supply chain
All businesses depend on their supply chains. Impacts from mass health events are likely. Locate alternative sources for materials and services. Have plans and set expectations with your customer base.
Fundamental rules for avoiding infection
Adding to the fun is that it is flu season. I am certain many are worried a simple flu could be something vastly more dangerous.
Wash your hands. According to the CDC you need to commit 20 seconds to every wash. A general guideline is hum the happy birthday song each time you wash your hands. It is also a good idea to use a hand sanitizer when washing your hands is not an option. Be sure to get a sanitizer with a moisturizer.
Do not touch your face. When all other systems of protection fail, not touching your face keeps you from getting sick. You probably do not realize how much you touch your face. You can also do things like never use the fingerprint side of your hands to touch your face and never place your hands on anything with the back side of your hands.
Be strong and carry on. No need for finger pointing or complaining. Energy wasted on anything but fighting this bio weapon induced plague is fruitless.