Business continuity policy

Mobilising the workforce

Our ability to continue operations will depend on the successful mobilisation of our people. The nature of the event will determine if we: 

  • can resume operations at existing premises 
  • need to invoke alternative location or work-from-home plans 

For more details, read the service area's business continuity plan. 

Temporary working arrangements 

We may identify and implement temporary working arrangements. These may apply to employees: 

  • working hours 
  • work locations 
  • duties 
  • working from home 
  • remaining at home 
  • not working for a period of time 

We will discuss any changes in working arrangements with the employee in advance, wherever possible. We will balance individual skills and personal circumstances against the needs of the organisation. 

Employees will need to be flexible in an emergency. We will support them to find solutions to personal circumstances to attend work during an emergency. A corporate mandate may deem that we do not need to implement alternative measures. 

Temporary deployment elsewhere 

We reserve the right to deploy employees elsewhere as the need arises temporarily. It could be in a different department or location. The 'host' manager will organise any necessary training or health and safety risk assessment.  

We will assess any need for lone-working. We will put appropriate control measures in place, as per our lone working policy. We will give special consideration to employees covered by the Equality Act 2010 who should not be deployed into inappropriate roles. 

Temporary alternative duties 

Employees may possess easily transferable or generic skills, such as: 

  • manual 
  • customer care 
  • IT 
  • admin and clerical 

We may ask employees to undertake reasonable alternative work outside their typical role to support priority areas. We will not expect employees to undertake: 

  • a role for which they do not have the basic necessary skills or abilities 
  • a professional role that they are not qualified for

Using alternative work sites 

We may ask employees to work from alternative locations, such as:

  • contracted recovery sites 
  • instant office facilities 
  • sharing offices in other company buildings, which could be at a different geographical location 

Alternative working facilities may be larger or smaller than what we currently have. Managers will support employees to adapt to alternative facilities, including: 

  • travel to work arrangements 
  • any access to catering facilities 
  • any change to working hours required 

Working from home 

We may use working from home as a temporary alternative arrangement to maintain services. It can enable individuals to get back to work speedily and effectively. 

 We recognise that home working: 

  • is not suitable for all roles 
  • may not be preferable for all individuals 
  • may need higher levels of management support in some cases 

Working from home requires: 

  • self-motivation 
  • discipline 
  • good time management 

Working from home can feel isolating. Managers will adapt the way they lead and communicate with teams in this situation. They will support individuals to: 

  • feel engaged 
  • feel part of the team 
  • be fully supported 
  • ensure individual wellbeing is maintained 

Paid leave during a disruption 

If we suspend some functions or services, we may send employees home, or ask them to stay away from work when: 

  • there is no immediate deployment requirement 
  • home working is not possible 

Affected employees will: 

  • receive normal contractual pay 
  • need to be contactable and available for work. We may call them in at short notice (possibly, the same day) 

Managers will maintain regular contact with employees at home to keep them up to date with the latest situation. When advised to return to work, employees may need to maintain a flexible approach until services are back to normal.   

Where employees take annual leave during a disruption, these stipulations will not apply. 

Sickness during a disruption 

If an employee becomes unwell during an emergency, they should follow the normal sickness absence reporting procedures. 

Managing the impact of travel issues 

Countywide travel is essential for many roles. A disruptive event that impacts on travel can affect our ability to carry out essential services.  

Travel can include: 

  • regular travel to and from a place of work 
  • travelling to and from community appointments 

As with any other disruption, we need to assess the impact on: 

  • the people involved 
  • their families 
  • the organisation 

We will provide any necessary support.

We may put alternative work arrangements in place where travel issues make it difficult to attend regular work locations.  

People management issues 

We will ensure the provision of essential people management support during and after a disruptive event. The HR team will provide support and guidance in the areas of: 

  1. pay
    • overtime or additional payments 
    • change of workload or work location 
    • pension entitlements in the event of death or long term illness arising from the event 
  2. benefits
    • loans or advances 
    • health care cover 
  3. attendance
    • management of annual leave 
    • sickness absence 
    • carers commitments 
    • compassionate leave  
    • time off for medical support 
    • family support employees need to provide 
  4. working arrangements, flexibility around:
    • work location 
    • working hours 
    • breaks  

The counselling and wellbeing hub will provide support to individuals through an incident or disruptive event.  

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