Many employers would struggle to care for their staff in the aftermath of a
disaster, claims research.
A survey by the Industrial Society shows that despite the events of 11
September, only half of employers with crisis strategies would be able to
locate their staff should critical business data such as staff lists be
destroyed.
Of those organisations with disaster plans, less than half have undertaken
emergency drills.
Theo Blackwell, policy specialist at the Industrial Society, said, "The
priority of any plan should be people. This means conciliation, communication
and rigorous coordination.
"The risk assessment for businesses is not how much this costs if they
divert resources into developing people-focused crisis management plans, but
how much they could lose if they do not."
Only four out of 10 organisations have a strategy for dealing with possible disasters,
while 36 per cent have a strategy for a small number of potential crises.
Among respondents, 65 per cent have carried out a risk analysis for the
whole business, while a fifth of employers have carried out risk assessment for
part of the business – usually IT.
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The utilities sector is most likely to have a disaster plan, with 60 per
cent being well prepared. While IT is the least likely sector to have a plan in
place with only a third having a disaster policy.
