The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted business so much that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) including cooperatives currently face much greater and more complicated concerns. With multi-level quarantines suddenly imposed by the Government, the majority of MSMEs barely saw things coming and weren’t able to prepare. A number of surveys are underway to get a clearer picture of how the pandemic has impacted MSMEs and cooperatives. But even as we await the results of those surveys, we believe that the impact is tremendous and its costs continue to increase.
A few months into the outbreak, businesses have started to accustom themselves to new realities in their operating environments resulting from guidelines imposed by the Government to address the contagion. A so-called ‘new normal’ began to take shape and the way businesses operate will never be the same again. Operating under the new normal means observing new norms of conduct in the workplace including physical distancing and the use of face masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and regimented cubicles and screens.
Businesses need to make major adjustments, including modifications in their business models, if only to thrive in a more restrictive operating environment under the new normal. Many of them will continue to adopt work-from-home (WFH) arrangements for eligible employees even after the lockdowns are lifted. Remote meetings, conferences and trainings will be more encouraged. Retail businesses and consumer stores, including restaurants, will be shifting to on-line selling as an alternative. Contactless, paperless and cashless financial transactions done online, including banking, will become more prevalent. All these adjustments will require investments in efficient information and communications technology (ICT), revamp of existing operational systems, procedures, strategies and practices. They also require re-definition of job
descriptions, redeployments, upskilling and retooling of the workforce, among others.
While most have started to adjust to the ‘new normal,’ the fact remains: MSMEs are still not prepared against the impending threats and impacts of other natural and man-made hazard events.
The Center for Humanitarian Learning and Innovation (CHLI) recognizes that COVID-19 is a continuing threat. And while businesses should continue to deal with it without let-up, they should not lose sight of the other hazards. The real danger is when businesses shift to the ‘new normal’ as if it’s still business as usual and downplay or forget that there are existing hazards which have hurt MSMEs time and time again.
For CHLI, COVID-19 should change the way we view disaster risks. Existing natural and human induced hazards don’t care about the pandemic. They will continue to hit businesses anytime. Similarly, the pandemic does not respect the timeline of other hazards. Businesses with higher exposure and vulnerabilities may potentially face a double whammy or a two-fold blow or setback if caught unprepared.
It is time to rethink our disaster resilience-building efforts and business continuity strategies. For business continuity planners and practitioners, the new normal should be defined as the world with COVID-19. Business continuity planning should therefore now address a hazard situation we call COVID+, that is, a coronavirus-affected world that is still at risk from other hazards. Therefore, since the new normal is a “COVID-ized normal,” business continuity plans should be revisited and rethought. Adapting to a pandemic without preparedness planning for other hazards will be a futile exercise. Business continuity planning under the new normal has to be reengineered to adopt a holistic approach.
To remain relevant and responsive, capacity building programs on business continuity management and planning should likewise be re-designed to suit the learning needs under the new normal. CHLI took a pioneering effort in this endeavor and has integrated a COVID + approach in its BCP training programs. The ultimate goal is to enable MSMEs and cooperatives avoid prolonged and costly operational disruptions through strategies designed to address current risks within the context of the ‘new normal’ or a world with the coronavirus pandemic.
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For more inquiries about potential engagements on BCP Training and related services, please contact the Center for Humanitarian Learning and Innovation (CHLI) c/o Mr. Diosdado P Waña, Center Director, via email (dwana@code-ngo.org) or mobile phone (0936 937 7213).
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