# 2659
Even before the economic woes of the past six months arose, convincing a business to spend serious quantities of time, money, and effort to prepare for a pandemic was a tough sell.
A pandemic is a nebulous threat at best.
Experts warn that it could arrive today, tomorrow, or perhaps not until years from now. That it could range from the mild, almost unnoticeable, pandemic of 1968 - to the horrors not seen since 1918.
If would be difficult to be more vague if they tried.
And let's face it: the commitment of resources needed to prepare adequately is enormous. Serious preparations can adversely affect a company's bottom line.
So it isn't difficult to understand why most business owners just ignore the threat, and pray it doesn't happen on their watch.
A dangerous gamble, of course. But one that is being taken by businesses all over the world.
I seriously doubt that the level of preparedness is any better in the United States, or France, Germany, Japan, or any other industrialized nation.
First this article from the Post Online, about a survey of UK businesses, then a bit more hand wringing from me.
Leading companies turn blind eye to flu pandemic threat
UK bosses are ignoring government warnings about the threat of a flu pandemic, according to The Business Continuity Forum.
A recent survey of 1500 business leaders by the independent advisory organisation has revealed a "widespread culture of ignorance and denial among Britain's bosses to the threat," it said. Three quarters of UK bosses are not supportive of planning to protect their businesses or employees should a pandemic hit.
It follows the publication of the government's National Risk Register in November, which said a flu pandemic is the greatest single threat to the country, carrying the potential to infect half of the UK population and to kill up to 750,000 people.
The Business Continuity Forum claimed its research underlines the vulnerability that businesses are leaving themselves open to. More than a third (36%) of bosses have no plans to address staff absence, and just 11% of businesses have established stockpiles of anti-viral medication to protect their employees.
Russell Price, Continuity Forum chairman, said: "There is a sense of paralysis among UK businesses when it comes to pandemic planning, and such paralysis is exactly what many businesses are exposing themselves to. As the economy continues to slow, it is surprising and worrying to see so many businesses willingly leaving themselves open to such serious financial risk."
Of the businesses that claim to be prepared, two-thirds admitted their plans will not be complete for a year and a half and most reported they have not tested their plans recently.
The Continuity Forum's press release may be read here.
With the world slipping into recession, convincing businesses to invest in pandemic preparation is harder today than it was two years ago, when business was booming.
After all, it's hard to get too worked up about the creek rising when your house is on fire.
Government have been, understandably, slow to mandate that businesses prepare. Their hope has been that by highlighting the threat, companies would take the initiative and prepare on their own.
That obviously has met with only limited success.
Here in the United States, agencies like OSHA and the HHS have come out with serious recommendations, but none of them have any teeth. Businesses are free to ignore them.
At their own peril, of course.
And that peril is great.
Not only to the company itself, but to their employees, and to any business or entity that depends on them to stay operational during a pandemic.
It takes time to prepare a company for a pandemic. Months, perhaps even years. The idea that we can safely delay preparing because no pandemic appears imminent is simply dangerous denialism.
Businesses may get away with that today, and probably tomorrow as well.
But one day another pandemic will arrive. It is inevitable.
And by the time it is apparent that one is on our doorstep most businesses will find, much to their dismay, that their window of opportunity to prepare has evaporated.
And that's a bottom line that no business can afford to ignore.
