Companies should have a checklist in preparation for a pandemic to ensure that everything is in place ahead of an emergency, an international human resources consultancy group says.
'Prevention and protection is very important,' said Rosaline Chow Koo, the leader of Mercer Health & Benefits. 'There are a few things we can check on beforehand.'
Mercer has prepared a three-page, 33-point pandemic planning checklist for companies.
'We give their human resources departments a checklist and help them to get through each one of these planning areas,' she said.
The areas involve protecting employees, locating them, communicating with staff, and sustaining them during and after a pandemic.
In protecting employees, companies need to check if they would want to provide vaccinations for employees, provide masks and other protective equipment, and whether there is a telecommuting policy.