UK organisations are failing to protect essential assets and be able to function after major disruptions, according to research by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
The 2005 Business Continuity Management Survey uncovered alarming inactivity, with organisations ignoring threats to their business, neglecting the needs of their managers, and not communicating plans with employees, the CMI said.
As well as ignoring threats to areas such as IT, many business continuity plans ignore an organisation’s key asset – their employees.
The research shows that despite an increase in incidents relating to loss of people (up to 41% from 25%) and skills (up to 28% from 20% ) to hit organisations over the last 12 months, only a handful of business continuity plans cover staff issues.
Mary Chapman, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said: “It’s a matter of concern that many organisations still fall short when it comes to implementing thorough business continuity management strategies.
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“However, the rising awareness of corporate governance responsibilities, and in particular the demands of the new Operating and Financial Review regulations should ensure that managers focus on the impact and cost that the loss of staff and services can have.”
The research was published in association with the Continuity Forum and Veritas Software.
