Continuity in crisis-3P’s

Ms.K.Sindhuja, Assistant Professor, MBA, Sankara College of Science and Commerce 

“Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think.” Jawaharlal Nehru

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant threat to people, businesses and economies across the globe. Smart leaders must specialize in how they will be best in protecting their people, serve their customers and stabilize business continuity. Organizations must respond rapidly and robustly to keep up business continuity.

However, organizations are often ill-prepared to react to a significant and sudden increase in call volumes. In the context of COVID-19, that increase is combined with the risk of having to suddenly shift to remote work-from-home models and protect a workforce in a high-risk environment. It’s an unprecedented challenge that will require swift action.

Just 12%of organizations are highly prepared for the impact of corona virus, according to Gartner’s recent Business Continuity Survey.

32% of senior executives rarely update their operating model, according to initial data from an ongoing Intelligent Operations survey by Accenture and Oxford Economics.

                                 ACT NOW ACCORDINGLY……

# PREVENT: What to try now

*Take immediate steps to make sure the security and well-being of employees.

 *Enable people to figure and connect with colleagues from diverse and secure locations and build safe working environments through regular sanitization.

*De-densify workspaces, curb large meetings and make sure that protocols are followed in staff room, rest rooms and areas of common use.

* Limit all non-essential business travel and client visits and align with local health and safety guidelines

# PREPARE: What to try and do next

*Establish a command center for a virtual workforce to live quality, productivity, compliance, insights and intelligence, people engagement and workforce well-being.

*Identify priorities and demanding processes, including functions like employee payroll, healthcare

# PREDICT: What to try and do for the long run

*Be proactive and build a correct strategically plan. Prioritize actions that facilitate your pre-empt the impact of volatility.

 “Remember, empathetic leadership and communications are two key areas that aid human resilience in difficult times”