13 By Rosemund R. Warrington Specialist in Strategic Human Resource and Organisation Development & Effectiveness, CARICAD T he COVID-19 Pandemic has demonstrated the importance of business continuity in organisations. From our observations, the immediate response (in addition to safety and health matters) to the pandemic by a number of organisations focused on business continuity. CARICAD, in response to this need, developed a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) template at the start of the pandemic in 2020, for customisation by Member States. By adopting a Business Continuity Plan in the heart of the pandemic, Member States were able to deploy effective plans, putting in place contingencies, identifying capabilities and strengthening technological infrastructure. From a Human Resources Management (HR) perspective, all of these actions assisted with the management of the sudden increase in remote work arrangements. For instance, the use of technology including business communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams facilitated HR processes in recruitment, learning management systems, and redeployment of employees, among others. For most if not all organisations, the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated that HR is an integral component of business continuity. Public Sector Organisations (PSOs) have been forced to re-focus and to re-direct themselves towards becoming more flexible and adaptable. The pandemic required answers to important questions: • What does our talent bench look like? • Do we have the capabilities for interim replacements in the event of an unexpected absence or multiple absences? This article treats briefly with some key HR considerations to ensure continuity in PSOs, as they confront risks and opportunities in times of crises. The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown that public officers, whether senior managers, mid-level officers, individuals in critical positions including specialists, as well as administrative and technical support staff are not immune to the virus. CARPHA has reported a total of 3,255,544 cases in the Caribbean as of March 7, 20221. The risk of further cases occurring in the Caribbean, according to CARPHA, remains Very High. PAHO also reported that in January 2022 COVID-19 infections were increasing in most countries in the region because of the Omicron variant and that Caribbean islands had the steepest increase in infections since the pandemic began2. Public Sector employees no doubt are included in this number. From CARICAD’s knowledge of regional public services, public sector programmes and projects continue to be impacted by the absence of COVID-19-affected employees at all levels, thus creating disruptions in work continuity. ILO-OECD in 2020 reported loss of jobs and declined income, globally resulting in supply shock3. It was also reported that there were unprecedented fall-offs in employment and total hours worked. • Continues on next page 1 - CARPHA Situation Report #219 2 - Congressional Research Group – In Focus, 2022 Latin America and the Caribbean: Impact of COVID-19 January 21, 2022 3 - ILO-OECD “The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on jobs and incomes in G20 economies” 2020 4 - ILO:COVID-19 eliminates the equivalent of 1.5 million jobs in the Caribbean ,2020
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