Businesses have to put their employee's safety at the utmost importance. The teamwork of employees after a crisis is critical. Everyone must be informed of what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. It isn't a simple endeavor. There are so many things to consider, and to cover every aspect, it takes a number of people and constant alterations.

Business Continuity Plan #1: MIT Master Plan
Planning for the business continuity of MIT in the aftermath of a disaster is a complex task. Preparation for, response to, and recovery from a disaster affecting the administrative functions of the Institute requires the cooperative efforts of many support organizations in partnership with the functional areas supporting the "business" of MIT.

As the written record of the Institute's Business Continuity Plan, this document is distributed to each member of the Business Continuity Management Team, including members of the Institute Support Teams. It is also distributed to members of the Administrative Computing Steering Committee, FARM Team Coordinators, Information Systems Directors and others not primarily involved with the direct recover effort..

The Plan identifies the critical functions of MIT and the resources required to support them. The Plan provides guidelines for ensuring that needed personnel and resources are available for both disaster preparation and response and that the proper steps will be carried out to permit the timely restoration of services.

Quarterly, the Business Continuity Management Team Coordinators ensures that the Plan undergoes a more formal review to confirm the incorporation of all changes since the prior quarter. Annually, the Business Continuity Management Team Coordinators initiates a complete review of the Plan, which could result in major revisions to this document. These revisions will be distributed to all authorized personnel, who exchange their old plans for the newly revised plans. At that time the Coordinators will provide an annual status report on continuity planning to the Administrative Computing Steering Committee.

Business Continuity Management Team:
Director of Insurance and Legal Affairs. Provides liaison to insurance carriers and claims adjusters. Coordinates insurance program with continuity planning programs
Director, MIT News Office. Communicates with the news media, public, staff, faculty, and student body who are not involved in the recovery operation.
Personnel Department. Provides support for human resources elements of recovery and staff notification through the emergency broadcast service.

Institute Support Teams:
Public Information The interface with the media, the general public and faculty, staff and students who are not participating in the recovery process is handled by the MIT News Office, working closely with the Personnel Department.

Campus Police initiative: To provide for all facets of a positive security and safety posture, to assure that proper protection and safeguards are afforded all MIT employees and Institute assets at both the damaged and backup sites.

Public Information Officer If employee injuries or fatalities are involved, notify Personnel to send appropriate management personnel to the homes of the involved families.

Public Information Officer Coordinate follow-up news releases after the immediate emergency has passed to present the Institute in as positive light as possible. Possible topics could include: What has been done to prevent recurrence of this type of emergency? What are plans for reconstruction? What has been done to express gratitude to the community for it's help? What has been done to help employees, students and faculty?

#2 IBM

The current threat of a worldwide avian flu pandemic is driving new issues surrounding human capital resiliency into the spotlight. Recent projections suggest that avian flu could potentially infect millions of people over an undefined period of time. In one severe pandemic scenario, it's predicted that 30 percent of employees would become ill, missing an average of three weeks of work.¹

Although companies are beginning to look for ways to minimize the impact of a potential avian flu pandemic, few have fully addressed the human side of crisis preparedness. In a recent survey, only 34 percent of companies indicated that human resource issues formed a significant part of their organization’s business continuity or disaster plans. Thirty-six percent indicated that these issues were only somewhat part of their plans.²

In a crisis, many organizations will be challenged to safeguard and support employees while continuing to deliver the services needed to keep the business operational and revenue flowing. IBM has identified three primary areas in which human capital issues and risks associated with crises can be grouped:

• Ability to attend work
• Ability to deliver critical internal services
• Ability to maintain business operations

This white paper presents a framework designed to help you address these issues and risks. The responsibilities for effectively identifying and addressing the human dimensions of your business continuity plan stretch across the organization, including these areas:

• Policies and communications
• Employee education and support
• Virtual infrastructure
• Job training
• Talent management
• HR systems and reporting
• Organizational culture

To help businesses evaluate their level of preparedness and take steps to mitigate risk, IBM offers the Contingency Planning Assessment. Experienced IBM business continuity and crisis management consultants can work with you to review and assess your readiness related to these key areas.