Most businesses can attest that the last several months have taken them by surprise. Even those best at planning and forecasting couldn't have predicted or planned for the sudden turn of events. I hear from our clients daily. Their questions are centered on employee's safety, additional information and resources, understanding the guidelines from the CDC and mitigating legal and safety risks.

Pandemic Response Plans do not have to be overly complicated. Here are a few questions to consider ahead of employee's raising questions or an audit. What is your organization doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within your workplace? What action steps has the company put in place since the pandemic? (For example, have you posted social distancing signs as a preventive measure? Have you limited conference room seating?) What is the company doing daily to prevent the spread within your organization? These simple questions are important to assessing your company's response. The execution of your company's specific plan is of the utmost importance to show the business is not negligent in keeping employees as safe as possible.

Last week one of my clients had an unannounced visit by the Fire Marshall to assess their pandemic response. Our partnership had prepared them for this visit. We had capacity assessments completed, signage added, employee and client questionnaires completed, along with the proper sanitization areas. They had implemented their pandemic response plan which in return prepared them for the visit. There was no additional actions required or citations issued.

Pandemic Response Plans isn't just another plan to add to your to do list. It's an outward expression of your company's values. A Pandemic Reponses Plan was likely not something you had already incorporated into your standard Emergency Response plan. Implementing plans with changing guidelines from the CDC can be challenging. Without a written pandemic response plan, specific to your company, consider your business at risk.

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