With cases of bird flu cropping up across Europe, the world's biggest insurance broker, Marsh, is urging businesses to prepare for situations where more than one quarter of their workforce could be off sick.
Six member states of the EU have now confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain of the virus, potentially lethal to humans, which is spreading across the continent after showing up in Turkey and central Europe.
"An outbreak of avian flu will severely test even the best-laid business continuity plans, and business are well advised to review and revise their plans in the light of this threat," the US-based insurance giant said.
Its study, entitled Avian flu: Preparing for a Pandemic said it was "likely that many companies are not making any special preparations in advance of what they see as the slim likelihood of an avian flu pandemic; instead operating with the belief that should one occur, either it will not affect them, or they will respond as the need arises."
Businesses must be ready to react if suspected bird flu cases appear among their staff and must agree which circumstances would justify triggering a business continuity management plan, including the establishment of key risk indicators.
Should an outbreak occur, a company's survival could depend on its ability to respond quickly and effectively, the study said, urging directors to "ensure that senior managers have the skills to manage such an event before it becomes a crisis."
Among the personnel issues to consider were the company's position if staff wanted to work from home, what to do if infected employees came to work and how to react if a "non-native employee wants to be temporarily transferred to another region," with or without their family.
Multinational groups appeared to be taking the threat seriously, Marsh said.
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