DLA Piper, legal firm has conducted some interesting research across the UK regarding preparation for Swine Flu.

It seems to indicate that regional businesses have taken the threat of swine flu seriously, with 83% reviewing their business continuity plans, however not looking closely enough at the legal impacts of changing working arrangements and conditions.

Of 428 businesses of all sizes across the UK, over half believed themselves to be at high or very high risk of swine flu affecting their business and 80% had reviewed their absence management procedures as a result of the outbreak.

However, a quarter of regional businesses had opted not to communicate their business continuity plans to their staff, whilst almost half had chosen not to inform their customers or suppliers of their arrangements. Hmmm, so how are these plans going to be activated quickly and without panic or fuss? Better keep the communication going strong.

This is not the first time businesses have been faced with continuity planning and possible ammends to terms and conditions, remember Bird Flu? Maybe it is time to have a hard look at the overall long term policy on business continuity and make sure you have something manageable, well communicated and robust in place that can be activated at a moments notice.

It would save on re-writing the rules everytime there is a propective pandemic or other disaster looming.

I had an interesting conversation with a client of mine - a specialist company who deal with all types of occupational health, fitness for work, ergonomics and absence management. The are contracted to Bradford City Council for specialist work in absence management, seemingly they are contacted only once in a blue moon and BCC are reluctant to spent money on proactive activities which will prevent and halt absence.

Hmmmm, after all that hype on how they are putting actions in place to stop the double digit absence figures. Possibly not putting their money where their mouth is? An under-budgetted HR department is not unusual!

Ok, so to give them some due, the figures are probably generated by one day absences etc. which is actually more of a conduct problem than an occupational health one. Culture has a lot to be blamed for here.