{"id":6870,"date":"2020-03-16T17:24:30","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T21:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=6870"},"modified":"2026-02-12T05:08:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:08:53","slug":"creating-workplace-plan-emergencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/creating-workplace-plan-emergencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating a workplace plan for business disruptions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTrends & Insights<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCreating a workplace plan for business disruptions\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Keir\t\t\t\tKeir Thomas-Bryant<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Considering<\/span> recent events, <\/span>contingency planning<\/span><\/a> has become a major consideration within businesses worldwide. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This <\/span>kind of planning is useful for any unexpected situation, whether it be a global pandemic, inclement weather, or a mass transit strike.<\/span> <\/span>Fortunately,<\/span> <\/span>y<\/span>ou can prepare your bu<\/span>siness for operational resilience by creating a contingency plan that addr<\/span>esses the impact to your <\/span>organization<\/span>, employees, suppliers,<\/span> <\/span>and<\/span> <\/span>customers. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are <\/span>some <\/span>suggestions for how to get started. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Assign an owner<\/span><\/strong>: All plans need a single point of contact, and a single person who owns the plan and can delegate.\u00a0<\/span>This needn\u2019t necessarily be a senior member of staff<\/span>, b<\/span>ut people need to know who it is.<\/span>\u00a0This person should ensure the plan makes\u00a0<\/span>sense<\/span>\u00a0and that nothing has been assumed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Invite input from all sources<\/span><\/strong>: The granularity of the plan will depend on your needs. You may decide that each function or department within your business needs its own plan, for example. You may even decide that individuals should create their own plans.\u00a0<\/span>Keep in mind\u00a0<\/span>all the functional\/departmental\/individual plans\u00a0<\/span>should<\/span>\u00a0sync-up and be combined into a larger workplace plan.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Consider your entire ecosystem \u2013 from supplier to customer<\/span><\/strong>: Your plan might include a list of alternative suppliers for certain key\u00a0<\/span>resources<\/span>\u00a0to be used if your existing supplier becomes unavailable. It may include specific plans on how to treat individual customers, especially larger and\/or more important ones<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Make this a living document<\/span><\/strong>: Don\u2019t create it once and then forget about it. Ensure your plan is reviewed periodically and don\u2019t be afraid to make changes<\/span>\u00a0should they be needed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Communicate<\/span><\/strong>: Once the plan is created, ensure it\u2019s available to\u00a0<\/span>your entire staff<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 and that\u00a0<\/span>everyone<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>know<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0what it is, where it can be found and what it means for them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    No one can predict when a crisis will begin or end, but with the <\/span>right technology<\/span> and <\/span>good communication <\/span>processes<\/span>,<\/span> your business can continue to operate effectively even when challenged with incidents out of your control. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\t
    \n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Business continuity: A guide to managing uncertainty<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Your practical guide to developing and implementing a resilient business continuity strategy for your business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"team_collaboration\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    \n\t
    \n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Subscribe to our Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Get our latest business advice delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Working\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Considering recent events, contingency planning has become a major consideration within businesses worldwide.   This kind of planning is useful for any unexpected situation, whether it be a global pandemic, inclement weather, or a mass transit strike. Fortunately, you can prepare your business for operational resilience by creating a contingency plan that addresses the impact to your organization, employees, suppliers, and customers.   Here are some suggestions for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":4423,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[399,170],"business_type":[40,312,41],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[98,96,97],"imagine_tag":[222,233,230],"coauthors":[542],"class_list":["post-6870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trends-insights","tag-business-continuity","tag-business-strategy","business_type-small-business","business_type-accountants","business_type-growing-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Keir Thomas-Bryant","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/06\/team_collaboration.jpg","imagine_tags":{"222":"Accountants","233":"Medium Businesses","230":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/4423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=6870"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=6870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

    This article is part of our Managing uncertainty<\/a> series which offers practical advice and support to help you keep your business moving as we all navigate these unprecedented times.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n