Fitness Business Canada Nov/Dec 2009

» Canadian Forum
The Flu Pandemic – Is
Your Club ill-Prepared?
Every business needs a business
preparedness and continuity plan. B y miKe mCPHee
he Business Development Bank of Canada iden- 3. Require the project champion to customize any ge-
T
tifi es the leisure industry, along with the trav- neric best practices information so it is specifi c to your
el, hospitality, retail and restaurant industries, operation.
as one of the top fi ve businesses that would be
hardest hit by a fl u pandemic. 4. Distribute copies of the fi rst draft of your plan to all
Based on years of research, the U.S. Centre for Disease managers and department heads for their review and in-
Control predicts that it is not a case of “if” a fl u pandem- put. Evaluate the input, and include it in the second draft as
ic spreads throughout North America, but appropriate.
rather “when.”
So what are fi tness club owners and op-
Club teamWorks
5. Once the fi nal draft has been ap-
erators to do? proved by the club owner or operator,
Although many North American govern- and Fitness communicate the protocols and responsi-
ment and privately-fund-
Business Canada
bilities of all staff (and members where ap-
ed agencies are reluctant propriate) via a policy manual, staff and/or
to estimate how quickly
encourage club
member newsletters, website links, bulletins,
and deadly the spread
owners and opera-
notice boards, email blasts, memos, etc.
of a fl u pandemic could
be, they all agree on one
tors to share their
Studies suggest that in the aftermath
fact: all businesses need
pandemic-readiness
of a severe pandemic, as many as 50% of
a business preparedness small businesses will never again re-open
and continuity plan to
ideas and expe-
for business. But with a comprehensive
addresses the health and
riences with fel-
plan, your club can increase its odds for
safety of their employees, survival. FBC
customers, partners and
low readers of
communities. FBC magazine and
It can take as little as
FitNet, the online
mike mcPhee spent over 20 years managing and/or
one month for a small- to owning several large and profi table sports and fi tness
moderately-sized club to research, devel- newsletter. Contact clubs before starting Club TeamWorks , a club de-
op and communicate a plan. Here are some
us at clubteam-
sign, marketing and management consulting service.
suggested steps to creating your own busi- Over the past 10 years, he has provided 100+ North
ness preparedness and continuity plan:
works@hotmail.
American clients with customized reports, systems
com and fb c@fi t-
and business plans, as well as public relations support
1. Delegate a specifi c employee to be and brokerage services. Contact Mike at
your project champion (preferably your
net.ca. We regret
clubteamworks@hotmail.com.
resident policy and procedures specialist),
that we are unable
or hire an emergency planning expert or
a business consultant. Provide this person
to provide specifi c
with clear guidelines and timelines for re-
advice.
searching, developing and communicating
the plan. recommended websites:
2. Provide your project champion with time to conduct • www.bdc.ca/en/Business_continuity/
extensive research. At a very minimum, it would be wise to Pandemic
visit the websites listed here to gather information.
• www.ﬂ u.gov: Flu Home > For
Professionals > Business Planning
50 Fitness Business Canada November/December 2009
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