Vol. 2, Iss. 12
December 2010

Happy Holidays from the BEP Institute! If you’re a business continuity / disaster recovery service or product provider, don’t forget to register today here for your free listing in the 2011 BEP Institute service provider directory!

The European Christmas Vacation Issue: 5 Lessons to Learn (or be Reminded of)

As Europe gets socked by snow, we sit back and enjoy the cold but easy-to-drive weather of Northeast Ohio (so far). Yet, we’ve been snowbound and frustrated so we know how it feels. Are we any more prepared? What business continuity and preparedness lessons can we learn (or be reminded of) so when the big storm (natural or human-made) hits us, we’re ready.

1. Learn from your counterparts. EU leaders identify the airports as the weak link in this snow calamity. The western European airports weren’t prepared to deal with the heavy snow, heaping on more problems in an already troubled session. Why don’t western European airports learn from northern European airports that must deal with snow on a regular basis? It’s a great question and one you can ask yourself.

You aren’t in the airport business but you are in a business that someone else is and you are in an organization that is geographically similar to others. Ask your counterparts how they prepare for the same challenges you can encounter. You may even identify mutually beneficial opportunities to be the back-up for each other.

2. People will talk. What’s your communication plan? The BBC is asking its audience to post their tales on the Web. In this day and age, though, it doesn’t require an invitation to share personal experiences with millions with just a few key strokes and access to the Internet.

If a disruption strikes that affects your customers, employees or even vendors, recognize they will be taking to Twitter, Facebook and blogs to talk. While you can’t stop them from saying anything negative (nor should you want to), you can make sure they have the best information possible and provide frequent updates as things should change. You can create a “dark” page of your website that goes live during a disruption with the sole purpose to communicate to your audience. Establish your Twitter and Facebook accounts now so you can communicate that way as well. Don’t forget to have a monitoring plan so your designee can see what’s being said and respond when absolutely necessary to correct factually inaccurate information.
 
3. Analyze long-term forecasts and past experiences. The EU transportation secretary asked the EU’s chief scientific adviser if western Europe should expect more snowy winters in the future—and if so, the EU should consider spending more money to be better prepared to respond.

When does an incident or two become a trend? Your business can pay attention to its own disruptions and related to factors, ask experts and identify if your business climate is changing so you need to alter your plans and budget so you survive a major (or even minor) disruption.

4. Meet post-disruption for in-depth analysis. Plans already have been discussed to investigate how stranded passengers were treated and how the winter storm in general has been handled in Europe.

The midst of a major disruption is not the time to start pointing fingers or trying to figure out what got you to this point. Your job during a disaster is to respond to the situation at hand as best as possible. But when the event is over, your work has just begun. Set a date shortly after the disruption and invite all the appropriate parties to the meeting. Then start your analysis—what worked, what didn’t and what can you do to improve your response in a future disruption.

5. Recognize under-the-radar effects. In Europe, the flight delays’ impact are obvious. But what about the less noticeable impact? Given the storm’s home-bound effect right before Christmas, retailing analysts offered their predictions of the impact. Concerned investors worried the retailers’ profits will fall at this busy time and as a result, retailers’ stock values did drop this week.

A well-detailed business impact analysis can assist your organization in identifying those less obvious effects then allow you to create or update your plan accordingly.

6. Educational Resources
The Business Emergency Planning Institute is a membership-based organization that provides education and networking opportunities for companies, nonprofits and government agencies that want to plan, mitigate and recover from all types of business disruptions. The institute provides public seminars, customized training, resources, exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities. On-site topics range from floor warden training to how to start planning, special event disaster planning and pandemic workplace preparation. Not sure what you need to be prepared? Contact Executive Director Ann M. Gynn at agynn@bepinstitute.com or (216) 212-7181 and we can help.

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The American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland, a BEP Institute gold sponsor, offers extensive training and courses, including classes in first aid, CPR, AED and more. Check out the classes, pricing and schedule at www.redcross-cleveland.org or call (216) 431-3010.

Cleveland State University Center for Emergency Preparedness offers a certificate program in business continuity and emergency planning. Check out all the details at www.csuohio.edu/ce. If you're an active CSU alum or COSE member, you're eligible for a 15 percent discount on most continuing ed classes. Mention when you register.

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