How do companies tackle the issue of mass absences due to illness? Representatives from many major companies discuss this issue at the "Expert forum for pandemics" in Bonn.
A pandemic – a disease that spreads rapidly across the entire world – affects all spheres of life and consequently also the economy. It is no wonder, therefore, that companies implement special measures to deal with mass absences of employees – on the one hand, to protect their workers from infection and, on the other, to ensure the continuity of business operations. How do others prepare for an emergency? To learn more, Deutsche Telekom invited renowned experts to its Group headquarters to talk about the options and share their experience.
Professor Martin Exner, Head of the University of Bonn's Hygiene Institute, graced the occasion by sharing his long-term expertise on this subject. His strong advice: "Don't wait until the last minute." Accordingly, Prof. Exner emphasized the need to implement early and comprehensive precautionary measures. In line with this advice, Deutsche Telekom implements, for instance, a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) that pools the measures to be taken in the event of an emergency and is based on recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, employees receive specific training as pandemic aid workers.
The participants concluded: helpful strategies that have not yet been fully integrated by the companies, for instance dedicated pandemic aid workers, should be discussed in depth at future get-togethers.
