Is your organisation ready for a second wave?

As a Covid-19 second wave looms, now is the time for companies to review their preparedness

The last week has seen Governments across the UK implementing new, stricter measures to combat rising Covid-19 infections. The Scottish Government has closed pubs, bars and restaurants across central Scotland; in Wales local lockdowns have been introduced; and in England a three tier level of response has been announced which allows rapid tightening of measures as local infection rates rise.

The second wave of the pandemic is now here and could have an even greater impact on businesses already weakened by lockdown during the first wave. So what can businesses do to protect themselves from more serious impact? How can they learn from the experience of the first wave? What are the things to avoid, the unexpected outcomes? What are the positives that businesses can draw on to weather the next wave?

When the pandemic first hit earlier in the year it was a situation for which few businesses were prepared. Most businesses had to react as the situation unfolded and along the way many lessons were learned. As we face a second wave of the pandemic, now is the ideal time to review how well your response strategy is working and make improvements, to minimise ongoing business disruption and the impact on your people.

Businesses need to take account of the new, dynamic situation where regulations are localised and changing rapidly, with differences across the devolved governments of the UK. Current practices need to be agile and adaptable; policies and responses should be regularly updated where relevant; and responses to changing scenarios incorporated into future planning.

Instinctif Partners’ specialist business resilience team has developed a sector agnostic methodology which takes clients through this review process looking at key areas to support and develop their ongoing response to the situation. The review is designed to pinpoint strategic gaps or tactical areas for improvement, so the organisation is better prepared for whatever may come next. It helps companies identify and embed lessons from the last few months to build organisational resilience in the long term.

For those businesses looking to prioritise the areas they need to address most urgently, a short, self-diagnostic can also be undertaken using our unique Covid-19Optic tool. This allows organisations to instantly benchmark their current pandemic response and preparedness for future outbreaks and prioritise the key areas for improvement.

We are living in unprecedented and unpredictable times but reviewing your preparedness for what the future may hold can help provide some certainty in an uncertain world.

Register for Covid-19Optic here, or to find out more contact Julia Johnson or Jen Upton.