Organisations of all sizes are failing to plan for possible disruption to
their business operations caused by the war against Iraq and terrorism, finds
research.
A survey of more than 700 managers by the Chartered Management Institute
reveals that 50 per cent believe UK employers are not prepared for possible
terrorist attacks.
The results reveal that over the past few months, organisations are more
likely to have addressed the possibility of disruption to business by the
firefighters’ strike (44 per cent) than a war in Iraq (17 per cent).
They also ranked ‘increased threat of terrorist activity’ (32 per cent) as
an equal consideration to ‘damage to their brand’.
More than half the managers polled admitted that either they did not or were
unsure if their organisation had a business continuity plan in place. Of the 46
per cent that did, only about half had actually rehearsed its effectiveness
during the past year.
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"Organisations of all sizes should have a business continuity plan –
not having one is cavalier at best, negligent at worst," said John Sharp,
CEO of the Business Continuity Institute.
He urged employers to ensure risk management is firmly on their agenda in
the current climate.
