Emergency planning

Business Continuity

Building resilience in your organisation

All organisations in Harrow, including businesses, charities, voluntary groups, community organisations and educational establishments, need to be prepared for potential disruptions.

The level of planning you need will depend on the nature of your organisation and the services you provide. The guidance below will help you start thinking about your preparedness.

Key questions for organisations

If you own, manage or are responsible for a business, charity or community organisation, consider how an emergency could affect your operations.

How would your organisation cope with the loss of:

  • Critical staff
  • Your usual premises
  • Essential utilities (electricity, gas, water, telecommunications)
  • IT systems and data
  • A key supplier or contractor

Understanding these risks helps you plan ahead and reduce the likelihood of disruption.

Five simple steps to improve your organisation’s resilience

There are straightforward actions you can take to reduce the impact of an unexpected incident:

  1. Identify your essential services and functions
  2. Consider the risks that could interrupt them
  3. Put practical measures in place to reduce those risks
  4. Develop a simple business continuity plan
  5. Test and update your plan regularly

Download and complete the Protect Your Business template to begin developing your own plan. It will help you think through your critical activities, identify vulnerabilities, and outline how your organisation would continue operating during a disruption.