Pandemic tips for employers

Here are some handy tips and advice for all call and contact centres across the country in times of pandemics.

Michael Van-de-Burgt, Health & Safety Manager at Randstad UK, has offered the following key precautions with regard to swine flu:

• Make sure that all employees/temporary workers are made aware of Government advice on how to reduce the risk of infection during a pandemic, such as ensuring regular hand washing.
• Take all reasonable steps to ensure that employees/temporary workers who are ill or think they are ill during a pandemic are positively encouraged not to come into work.
• Put into place measures to maintain core business activities for several weeks at high levels of staff absenteeism, including options for remote working and expanding self-service and on-line options for customers and business partners.  Identify those essential functions and posts, and perhaps individuals, whose absence would place business continuity at particular risk.
• Contact trusted recruitment organisations to brief them on likely key skills requirements, so that they are ready to help, should the organisation be hit with high levels of absenteeism.
• Ensure that supplier organisations delivering services under contract have appropriate arrangements in place themselves to sustain their service provision.

Author: Jo Robinson