Business Continuity Management
It's very important for businesses to be prepared for an emergency or crisis.
In this section of our website you can find out how businesses in Hackney can plan for and respond to emergencies, using business continuity management.
We encourage all businesses in Hackney to have an effective business continuity management plan in place.
Neighbourhood link service available
The Met Police is asking businesses to consider signing up to Neighbourhood link email alerts.
Neighbourhood Link is a community messaging service from the Metropolitan Police Service that provides news and information about policing activity or initiatives, crime prevention advice as well as major incidents affecting your area. Through this service you can receive messages from your local Safer Neighbourhood Team, borough police or, in the event of a major incident or event affecting the whole of London, from other Met teams.
London Fire Brigade advice
Visit the London Fire Brigade website for key actions you can take to help protect your premises and people using them.
What is Business Continuity Management?
Business Continuity is thinking how, in the event of a crisis or interruption, your organisation or business can have a relatively quick and painless return to "business as usual". Business Continuity Management (BCM) is the process of planning to deal with such incidents, be they weather-related or man-made, accidental or deliberate. BCM is about:
- reducing risk
- responding effectively
- restoring normality.
How to plan effectively
A 5-stage cycle may be used to help you plan for emergencies:
1 Analyse your organisation or business
2 Assess the risks
3 Develop your strategy
4 Develop your plan
5 Practice (rehearse) your plan
Effective BCM Planning helps you to:
- ensure that essential services are provided
- protect your organisation or business and its reputation
- have a competitive advantage in a crisis
- increase the knowledge and skills of your staff
- potentially solve potential disruptions in advance!
Why invest in BCM?
- Around the world, regulators and governments are putting great emphasis on the need for organisations to have effective BCM in place.
- Some insurance companies are setting the level of business interruption premiums according to the speed at which an organisation is able to resume business.
- Several large businesses are starting to insist on suppliers having robust BCM processes in place before they will trade with them.
According to AXA research, three quarters of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are risking it all through lack of survival planning. One third admits to relying on luck to make important business decisions.
Despite recent high-profile threats to business hitting the news - terrorist attacks, extreme weather, petrol blockades, the Buncefield fuel depot fire to name but a few - research has found that the UK's SMEs are gambling on their futures.
Resources for businesses
If you are interested in BCM, you can find out more about it by downloading the below document:
Further Information
More information and advice is available from Hackney council to help your business prepare for an emergency.
Contact bcp@hackney.gov.uk or businesscontinuityplanning@hackney.gov.uk for details.
Page updated: 4 Nov 2011
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