Companies urged to plan for H1N1 flu

By Michael Kahn

LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) - Many multinational companies do not have workable plans in place for when a pandemic hits, including the possibility that H1N1 flu may change into a much more dangerous virus, health experts warned on Friday.

Dr. Myles Druckman, disease outbreak expert at International SOS, also said working out how to respond to potential outbreaks that may hit offices of a multinational company in some locations but not others was something firms needed to contend with.

"A gap for many is how can companies develop a more proportional response," said Druckman, whose organisation has helped more than 100 Fortune 500 companies develop pandemic plans.

"For the most part outbreaks are going to be a local phenomenon. That is going to be the challenge going forward."

About two in five employers do not have a human resources policy in place for health-related emergencies -- even those with workers in areas affected by the H1N1 virus -- a survey by consulting firm Mercer showed.

The survey of more than 400 mid-size and large organisations worldwide suggested that while many are starting to implement protection measures, gaps in preparedness remain.

"Business continuity plans should be standardized and employers must be able to communicate in a streamlined, swift and decisive fashion," said Danielle Dorling, a consultant in Mercer's HR effectiveness consulting business.

"Ad-hoc reaction can lead to confusion, unnecessary panic and expensive global inconsistencies that can expose the organisation to significant financial risk."