Bird flu has yet to develop the ability to jump from human to human and become a pandemic, but many businesses are not waiting to find out if it will.
Some companies are going so far as to set entire buildings aside as "clean facilities" in which workers and families would remain during a bird flu outbreak. At least two financial institutions are setting up such voluntary quarantines and two utilities are considering it, according to Gary Lynch, national practice leader for business continuity risk management at Marsh Inc. He said the companies plan to pay premiums and offer antiviral drugs to employees who take part.
Most companies' steps are less extreme, such as making sure that key employees can work from home. But companies large and small are advised to have plans for the enormous work force disruptions that bird flu might bring.
"It's going to be every company for itself," said Mark Mansour, a partner with the Foley & Lardner law firm in Washington, who has been advising companies on their preparations. At least one, he said, has pored over its workers' upcoming travel plans and eliminated trips to potential bird flu hot spots.
Generally, big companies and those that do business in Asia -- which has suffered more than 100 bird flu deaths and the 2003 SARS outbreak -- began preparing first.
For example, DuPont Co is considering giving employees kits with masks and disinfectant and is assessing ways to continue manufacturing with reduced staffing. Sun Microsystems Inc plans to keep workers informed over its intranet radio station.
Now, however, fears that the H5N1 virus that causes bird flu could begin to spread internationally are promoting small businesses to consider their options as well.
Bird flu sparked a crisis meeting last month at Ervin and Smith, a 40-person public-relations firm based in Omaha, Nebraska. The firm is arranging to have freelancers on call if staffers fall ill.
At Childs Capital, a New York-based investment firm, founder Donna Childs has informed the staff they should work remotely if the flu cripples public transportation to the company's Wall Street office. Meanwhile, Childs would use a service that can open and scan the firm's mail so its bills could be paid online.
And Childs has gone a bit further, following lessons learned firsthand in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when her apartment building near the World Trade Center was evacuated and her office closed for a week.
One thing she realized then was the importance of keeping extra cash around, a step she plans to repeat in case of bird flu, even if bank shutdowns are unlikely.
Employees are also trained to handle multiple responsibilities in case other members of the staff are unavailable.
"Overall, I think people should think about what would happen if you couldn't work in your premises for whatever reason," said Childs, who has co-authored a book about how small businesses should get ready for big disruptions. "That would prepare you for most threats."
Not everyone can telecommute, of course. That's why Andrew Spacone, who heads crisis planning at Providence, Rhode Island-based manufacturer Textron Inc, has been mulling other ideas.
One is to make sure that company cafeterias are using disposable cups and utensils, eliminating the risk of spreading the virus through poorly washed silverware.
Should bird flu ripple through the US, the five executives on Textron's management committee would cease assembling in the same room and instead would hold conference calls.
The company's intranet site just got a new section advising employees on bird flu and how to recognize its symptoms.
Textron's 37,000 employees might be e-mailed questionnaires to help them figure out if they are sick and infectious.
Depending on the scale of the pandemic, Spacone is prepared to take workers' temperatures at facility entrances and send people with fevers home. He also would stagger shifts and move workstations further apart, out of sneezing and coughing range.
Experts in workplace law say companies that fail to adequately plan could face thorny problems later. There could be shareholder lawsuits, breach-of-contract cases or union grievances over forced time off.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source