Business continuity
Plan today. Trade tomorrow.
Riots, fire, cyber attacks, floods, snow, terrorism, power outages...
Disruptions happen; but with a business continuity plan in place, your organisation can be strong enough to survive it. Most disruption is not always caused by major incidents. It could be a burst pipe flooding your stockroom or a car accident that damages your shop front.
What is business continuity?
Without effective business continuity planning, your business is at risk of:
Complete failure
Loss of income
Loss of reputation
Loss of customers
Financial, legal and regulatory penalties
Human resource issues
Increased insurance payments
Why do you need business continuity planning?
Minimises the impact of disruption
You will continue to deliver your business
Gain increased customer trust and confidence
An enhanced reputation
A competitive advantage
The benefits of being prepared
What is a business continuity plan?
Business continuity is about having an effective plan in place to operate your business at an acceptable level during and after a disruption. It identifies risks to essential services and employees, and how to respond and recover.
Step one: Identify your essential services
Step two: Assess the risks you face
Step three: Devise a strategy to minimise disruption
Step four: Implement your plan and review it regularly
The business continuity team at Hackney Council can help you with starting your plan. They are on hold for guidance, to answer your questions and provide a template for your plan - and it’s completely free.
How can this apply to my business?
There are two main ways to protect your business from the unknown:
Make sure you have adequate insurance
Create a business continuity plan
What should I consider in my plan?
Have you got alternative suppliers?
Do you have alternative trading/business space?
Do you have a secure back up of your contacts?
Do you have adequate insurance cover?
Are staff cross-trained to do each other’s roles?
Do you have different ways to be contacted?
Have you considered partner businesses?
Have you secured important documents?
Have you considered a ‘Battle Box’ with important business tools for use in an emergency?
Get in touch
Hackney Council’s Business Continuity Planning Team:
Email: businesscontinuityplanning@hackney.gov.uk
Visit the Business Continuity Planning Team’s website here for more information.