Why we believe a simulated exercise approach is best.

In the following blog, we explore how simulated exercise can benefit your organisation. By building trust, inducting new colleagues, updating knowledge and learn how to best manage a crisis.

What’s one of the most important things when you manage a crisis or incident? 

It’s having people around you who can work together and that each of them know exactly what their role is. Trust is key – you have to be able to rely on each other.  To know that you can all pull together and at times lean on each other, to see you through to the other side. How can we build trust?

In this current COVID-19 world, building team trust is complicated somewhat.  Some businesses and organisations have welcomed new members of staff who have never met their colleagues in person. While Zoom or face-to-face meetings are great for the environment and travel expenses, they are not so great for team building and sharing learning experiences. 

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The world is changing dramatically, and that includes learning.  Your teams still need to develop and learn how to cope in a crisis.  Refreshing existing knowledge and working through new scenarios.  Ensuring that everyone is up to date with procedures and plans, is still vital.  Perhaps more so now we know the extent to which our world can change.  

A pandemic changes businesses

The current pandemic may have forced a change to your business continuity and crisis plans. A simulated exercise will enable teams to gain understanding and learn practical applications of these changes.  You will have a unique opportunity to gauge the practically of your plans in a crisis, testing that they are truly fit for purpose.  

Continuing to invest in your teams through the pandemic will have a number of results.  Including; keeping their skills and knowledge up to date, team-building in times where the team is no longer together, enabling new team members to integrate into the existing team and increasing trust in the teams’ decision making.  An online simulated exercise bonds a team while allowing them to develop and hone their crisis management skills.   

How a Continuity West simulated exercise can help you build trust and manage a crisis?

At Continuity West we have been successfully running simulated exercises for our customers for a number of years. Here at Continuity West, we have developed our classroom exercises to run online and still be as impactful and full of learning as before.  

Continuity West are business continuity and risk management specialists, and we bring all of our experience managing incidents to the exercise and your teams.  We provide the knowledge and learning environment and help learners develop their understanding. Learners skills will be developed by putting knowledge and understanding into practice.  Our exercises also test attitudes, seeing if your people engage with the learning or try to go their own way.

Our simulated exercises will test identified plans or procedures against the desired outcomes and the exercise will become more challenging as the exercise progresses.  

So don’t let a little thing like an on-going pandemic stop you bringing your team together for learning and team-building! 

In this blog, Philip West explores the COVID19 pandemic beyond hindsight. He also shares his COVID Timeline with you.

In our last blog, we wrote about what we would have done differently in preparing for the COVID crisis if we had the hindsight we now have.  Here we explore the COVID pandemic beyond hindsight. We also offer your our unique COVID Timeline – absolutely free.

There is another aspect of hindsight that can come back to haunt us if we are not careful. It centres around decisions we make whilst dealing with the crisis. Then subsequent criticism for making what now appears to be such an unwise choice. 

COVID Pandemic beyond hindsight everyone’s a critic

Of course, it is because our critics are using hindsight to attack us. If you run a small business, this criticism may only be a comment from a partner. In government, where all decisions are at a high strategic level, the criticisms will come from everywhere. The opposition, the press, political commentators and of course voters. 

There are many examples where moderate-sized organisations have been pulled apart by customers or shareholders for adopting a particular course of action in a crisis that has proven to be counterproductive. Then there is the public sector where officials in roles such as emergency planners and incident managers are open to condemnation when things go wrong. Often because the decision was made when the information to hand was different from what is known today.

Don’t worry, there is a way of protecting yourself.

In my days as a Police Inspector (teaching senior officers how to command at major incidents and events), one of the most poignant lessons was in decision making and logging those decisions.  If recorded properly, a decision log can protect you against post-incident criticism and even post-incident litigation.  Remember, you must do it appropriately.  You need to record the information you know at the time of the decision.

This is most important as this is the aspect that will change with hindsight and can be used against you. After this record any known threats or risks, any policies or procedures that could affect your decision and finally the options you have; with this recorded add which option you have chosen and why. Often, given a range of options, there is not a wrong decision. The only mistake is making no decision, even if the decision is to do nothing, which must also be recorded.

The COVID Timeline

Since COVID began I have been maintaining a COVID timeline. The idea being that if you have made an organisational decision based on the evolving pandemic, but did not record the information you knew (or only recorded part of it), you can look back at what was happening on the day you made the decision.  In terms of reviewing your practice with hindsight, the timeline will be invaluable. We are providing the timeline as an aid for you for when you are suddenly faced with the question, “why did you do that”?  As discussed, our old friend hindsight will make an otherwise wise decision look stupid. 

The timeline is divided into global developments through the WHO, domestic developments through a health information perspective and a domestic media update. I am about to add a global media perspective as well.  

Each day is listed and alongside is what was happening and what was known. I am maintaining this voluntarily as my contribution to fighting the pandemic as I know it will prove valuable when we come to the debrief and lessons learned.

Get your copy of the COVID Timeline

It has been made available to members of the Emergency Planning Society, and it is also available to any business or organisation who wishes to have access.  Contact us to request a copy.

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The world of work has changed for everyone, was your business ready?

With the benefit of hindsight, we look at the COVID19 situation 7 months into the pandemic. What would you have done differently?

It is so easy to be right with hindsight, as they say. But now, over seven months into COVID, what would you have done differently?

Take a moment to reflect and think about that; imagine you can go back in time and prepare for what is to come. Would your list be similar to ours?

Prepare teams to work from home. 

  • Do they have laptops? 
  • Can they connect to the office network? 
  • Have they got a suitable space in their homes to work? 
  • Do they have adequate internet?
  • Can your office phones be routed to their work mobiles? 
  • Are your staff in agreement with these requirements? 

Thinking of the welfare of your teams is imperative.

  • How can you support this new way of working?
  • Who can work from home and who cannot?
  • How will you protect those who have to come into your premises?
  • Are you making allowances for the changes?
  • Has homeschooling been considered where needed?
  • Will you need to set up contracts to supply PPE or home office equipment?
  • Do you need a counselling service to support colleagues?
  • Do you need to consider how to keep your workforce connected, online training? For instance a simulated exercise?
  • Have you considered an informal online meeting where people are encouraged to chat about what else they are up to?

Keeping connected and meetings

  • How will COVID affect meetings?
  • Do all meetings need to continue as before?
  • Will you need to move your meetings online?
  • Do you already have online conference software? 
  • Do you use Zoom, which may not have adequate security or investigate other options? 
  • Does it allow the numbers you need in online meetings? 
  • Does it allow more than one meeting at a time if required?
  • Do your teams know how to use it? 
  • If not, you will need to provide training?

What about your premises?

  • If this closure is for a protracted period, you may need to consider temporarily closing your main premises. 
  • Do you need access to part of the office for vital tasks?
  • Do you need to reset the heating?
  • What scheduled deliveries need to be cancelled or does someone need to be present?
  • If it is a protracted crisis with government aid, can a rebate of business rates be negotiated?
  • If renting, do you need to negotiate for a smaller area?
  • What facilities need to keep running and what checks need to be in place?

As I began, it is easy to see things with hindsight.  

The above is not an exhaustive list, but is a good starting point.

Here at Continuity West, we specialise in supporting you to keep your business going in all circumstances.  

Business continuity planning, when done right, can be the difference between survival and collapse.  We house your business continuity plans in our incident management system MIMS, making it easy to execute with all the required information and contacts to hand.

Or why your sponsors image is as important as your image. Plus always act like you are on live TV

In this post, we look at the need to be careful that your sponsors image, message and standing is aligned with yours.  How if they sponsor you, their reputation can impact your organisation or projects. Your sponsors image is your image.

So what has this got to do with TV?  On the Sunday of the weekend of 14th – 15th of November, Netflix released series four of The Crown. On the Saturday, Strictly aired episode four of its 2020 season. Two otherwise unrelated events. 

The Crown was is based on real events with real people but adds some storylines to spice it up, they are not always accurate. 

In the era of social media, people are more likely to believe things they read, see or hear online, without checking the source. Thus, the truth and fiction of The Crown’s account can get muddied and confused by many. 

The Palace let it be known they were not happy with this series of The Crown as it contained many inaccuracies. They believed it presented individuals in a negative light. It is also too close in time to current events and living people. The displeasure was mainly conveyed in the time-honoured fashion by The Prince of Wales’ friends voicing their displeasure. 

Their accounts were reported and shared. Then members of the public took to the comments section of various publications. One element of these comments was that the Duke & Duchess of Sussex should re-consider their contract with Netflix. Some people were taking the opportunity to vilify the pair of them as part of a wider disquiet over their move to America. 

During Strictly one of the contestants, JJ Chalmers, an injured ex-soldier, was shown having a live zoom meeting with the Duke of Sussex. The Duke wished him good luck and lent him his support. It is fair to say JJ Chalmers’ dance was not the best, and he came bottom from the judges’ scoring. 

His only chance of staying in the competition was if the public voted for him. He had 17 points from the judges, but with the next couple having 20, he needed a lot of public support. He is a likeable man, a veteran with lots of support. However, would the endorsement from the currently unpopular sponsor affect this support? Only time would tell. 

Then another difficult moment may have saved him. One of the other contestants made the classic error of forgetting he was ‘miked up’ while dancing. At the end of his cavort his microphone picked up him swearing – quite strongly. He forgot he was on live TV. One of the hosts, quickly apologised, maintaining the beebs reputation. 

In the end, the swearing contestant was voted off by the public. JJ Chalmers got so many votes on live TV he beat someone who had 24 points from the judges. 

So remember: Watch what messages your sponsors are giving

and

always behave always act like you are on live TV!

The Great Plague and COVID19. What similarities were there? What lessons should we have learned?

Daniel Defoe published a contemporary account of the Great Plague of London in 1723. Daniel was only five in 1665, during The Great Plague. It is believed to be based on his uncle Henry Foe’s experiences. How does Defoe’s account compare with our experiences of COVID19?

There are lessons we could have learned from that plague pandemic.

This blog comprises extracts from an imaginary interview I had with Daniel about the Great Plague. This is in The Emergency Planning Society magazine, ‘Resilience’.

The main difference was that the plague was slow-moving across Europe compared with the rapid global travel of our time. It left Florence in 1633 and arrived in London in 1665. The government, aware the plague was in Holland a couple of years before, suppressed the information. Much as China did with COVID19.

Similarities we could have learned from

About people

Social distancing – the need for emergency hospitals; contactless payment; track and trace; closure of pubs plus theatres; furlough and self-isolating to mention a few.

Social Distancing – People kept at home as much as possible to avoid contact. When they did go out, they walked down the centre of the road, keeping a reasonable distance apart. Avoiding close contact with others and buildings.

Self-Isolating – If you or your family had come into contact with the plague or showed symptoms, the whole household (including servants) had to remain indoors for 28 days. Two watchmen, one day and one night, posted to make sure they remained inside.

Nightingale Hospitals – Daniel sends a message through his book to us that the most significant lesson we could learn is that their one Pest House in London had a capacity of 200 – 300. There was not enough beds. People pushed close together with two to a bed. He implores us to build extra capacity quickly.

About the economy

Contactless Payment – The butcher put his meat joints on hooks. Instead of being served, people helped themselves. They then put their money in a pot full of vinegar. Sometimes a purse with coins in was set alight before being dropped into water.

Track and Trace – If someone had the plague, their whole household were tracked down and incarcerated in the same house.

Closure of Taverns, Coffee Houses and Theatres – Taverns plus Ale and Coffee Houses were heavily discouraged and closed at 9 pm. All plays, bear-bating, games, singing of ballads, buckler play or assemblies were completely banned. 

Furlough – The King made available a thousand pounds a week in London. This was because all non-essential trade was at a full stop.  The money was for the relief therefore of all master-workmen.  This money was of huge benefit it meant that those who survived were still around to resume their trade once things returned to normal.

Rats deserting

There were other similarities with the Great Plague and COVID19. One being, those with money who owned country houses, deserting London and going to the country where, until their arrivals, the plague was less virulent.

All In all, 17th Century Londoners would have been more familiar with our current regime and COVID19 than we may have thought.

COVID 19 and the Great PLague