Managing Recovery

Managing Recovery And Business Continuity Application

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION3

VULNERABILITY AND SCREENING3

HAZARD AND RISK ASSESSMENT6

THE ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT8

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS10

TRAINING13

RECOVERY RESOURCES18

CONCLUSION20

Managing Recovery And Business Continuity Application

Introduction

The object of business continuity planning is minimising loss after a disaster. Achieving this goal requires that management and information systems are available to facilitate the recovery of core business operations (Bent, 1995; Davies and Walters, 1998; Duitch and Oppelt, 1997; Lister, 1996).

While safeguarding systems and/or arranging for substitutes is vital, it is equally important to ensure the availability of staff capable (in terms of both their wellbeing and their knowledge and skills) of operating these systems under adverse disaster conditions. The latter issue has been less comprehensively canvassed within the literature and is the subject of this paper. Business recovery and staff wellbeing are closely linked. Returning to work assists personal recovery and minimises secondary stress from economic losses. This paper discusses, from a human resource (HR) perspective, the implications of personal/ group vulnerability, hazard and risk assessment, organisational systems, training and recovery management for disaster business continuity.

Vulnerability and screening

In an organisational context, several groups, including staff, shareholders, customers, suppliers, distributors, family members and community members are vulnerable (Bent, 1995; Paton and Kelso, 1991; Wraith, 1994). While it is a matter for each organisation to consider its responsibility for the wellbeing of those other than its employees, extending organisational activities to encompass other groups can prove beneficial. Family members and community groups represent a recovery resource (Paton, 1997a). Assisting them can facilitate staff recovery and minimise business losses by reducing recovery time and sustaining staff loyalty through a difficult period (Bent, 1995). Large organisations might wish to direct resources to assist smaller suppliers, distributors, and customers who lack the expertise or resources to undertake continuity activities themselves. Minimising down-time and sustaining goodwill could make this a cost-effective strategy. In addition to considering disaster continuity for themselves, local government agencies might profitably pursue a similar course of action. Facilitating business continuity, particularly in smaller companies, within their jurisdiction may assist economic, social and community recovery.

While a detailed consideration of governmental aid is beyond the scope of this paper, it would be prudent, within a comprehensive HR continuity plan, to consider the implications for staff of short-term lay-offs and redundancies following a disaster. The development of support packages designed specifically to cater for the complex needs likely to emerge under these circumstances deserves consideration. Trans-national organisations would also have to accommodate the cultural dimension within this process. In addition to these general issues, it is important to consider the personal circumstances and characteristics of staff, the organisational systems developed to manage recovery, and the context within which these factors interact for the nature and quality of business recovery.

In an HR context, continuity planning can use vulnerability data for screening staff. On one level, this involves considering the demands staff are likely to experience. For instance, older staff, ethnic minorities, single parent families and staff with young children could face increased demands (Paton, 1997a) making them less suitable for filling ...