Do You Have a Pandemic Plan in Place Yet?
/Almost every day I’m asked, “when will things go back to normal?” My answer is simple: no one knows, so let’s plan for that. As federal, state, and local governments begin transitioning back into everyday activities, businesses should take this time to draft a Pandemic Plan.
Unlike the natural and war time disasters our country has experienced in the past, COVID-19 is not confined in either space or time. Until a vaccine is readily available and disbursed (many say 18-24 months), we cannot anticipate a return to work as we once knew it. The social-distancing strategy is working, but at such an economic cost that it can’t be sustained indefinitely. So when restrictions relax, we will likely see some states or cities that experience a similar resurgence in cases as when Singapore, China, and other Asian states first eased their restrictions. Moreover, even though this is the first worldwide pandemic in a century, more regionalized pandemics have become increasingly common.
Those businesses that will survive and thrive during this time will have prepared and implemented a Pandemic Plan. These plans are similar to business continuity plans, or as we call them in Florida, hurricane plans. Right now, the whole country is experiencing business restrictions, but when national restrictions are relaxed and the differences between states and municipalities become more pronounced, customers and clients may be less understanding of delays in service when they are not experiencing the same restrictions in their area.
Every business will have different needs, but at a minimum, your written Pandemic Plan should establish:
a leadership committee that will implement and execute when timing is necessary,
contract revisions for services to include pandemic language,
payroll procedures to ensure employees are being paid,
pay policies for employees so they know what to expect,
succession plans in the event leadership is infected or otherwise debilitated,
new processes for how to deliver goods/services to customers in the event they are unaffected by the pandemic when your business operation is affected, and
expectations for your employees of what would be different in the next scenario (if anything) and what would remain by disbursing the written plan and educating employees in advance.
Please reach out to the firm if we can help you draft your Pandemic Plan. As you face the day-to-day questions of balancing business concerns, the law, and health and safety in the Coronavirus era, the firm is here to help.