A Taxing Issue for Canada
Remember the days where important working files were saved on a floppy disc, not the cloud? Or bills were paid […]
The Canadian Business Resilience Network brings together a vast network of over 450 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 100 of Canada’s leading business and industry associations, from all regions and sectors of the economy. This network represents diverse viewpoints, and the CBRN blog provides a platform to share ideas with other members of the business community and the federal government. The opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of CBRN or the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
By Karen White
Vice-President, Crisis and Issues Management
NATIONAL
In a year where “unprecedented” has truly lost all meaning, how do organizations approach crisis planning moving forward? We have worked with countless organizations to plan, develop and test crisis communications plans leading up to 2020. Eight months ago, had you suggested a worst-case scenario that saw entire countries in lockdown, strained medical systems around the world and global-scale economic downturns and uncertainty, NATIONAL might have suggested that your test case crisis scenario was too extreme and far-fetched. However, here we are facing a real crisis that is so extreme it did not even make the list of possible planning scenarios.
Organizations have differed in how they cope and live with COVID-19. No two organizations are experiencing this pandemic the same. At NATIONAL, we have created the COVID-19 Response Continuum—a strategic framework to help organizations understand where they are now in the pandemic, and where they need to go and steps to get them there. As many organizations adapt and learn to live with COVID-19, it is time to start thinking about recovery. It will not always be a linear process, and there will be progress and continued challenges and opportunities.
As companies across Canada adapt to the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape, here are five things to be thinking about in the recovery phase:
A crisis does not have to be the end; it can often create new opportunities and beginnings. We have seen organizations pivot and thrive in this uncertain climate. The lessons we learn and the chances we take will define our capacity to be resilient.
The pandemic has shown us what is working, and what is not inside organizations—presenting an opportunity to grow back even better. NATIONAL has a network of expert communicators that work with organizations to create comprehensive plans that identify lessons learned and opportunities for growth.
For more resources on Business Continuity Planning click here.