Answer:
Not necessarily. A pandemic policy can easily be developed by your staff. Try to follow these four main objectives and then flesh out a policy from there:
- Establish an ethic of infection control in the workplace that is reinforced during the annual influenza season to include systems to reduce infection transmission and worker education.
- Establish a contingency system to maintain delivery of the bank's services during time of significant and sustained worker absenteeism.
- If necessary regroup critical departments by closing the most affected branches and split remaining staff between branches.
- Partner with other banks to provide mutual support and maintenance of essential services.
Your staff knows exactly who is cross-trained in each area and who can fill in during significant absenteeism. This policy should have a grass roots, in the trenches, feel. I think a consultant might try to establish a sophisticate semi-formal policy. Remember people are going to be sick and when they are sick they need a policy that is simple and easy to follow.
Archive of Risk Management Questions
First published on BankersOnline.com 12/22/08
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