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Home > Financial Press Releases > “Promote Telework as a Bird Flu Response”, Says New Alliance
“Promote Telework as a Bird Flu Response”, Says New Alliance
Plans Needed to Make Telework Part of Programs to Reduce Bird Flu’s Economic Impact. Many experts at the World Health Organization believe the world is closer to a pandemic now than anytime since 1968 when over 1 million died from the Hong Kong Flu.
WASHINGTON, DC, Nov.28, 2005---President Bush’s initiative to combat the impending bird flu outbreak must also include incentives to encourage public and private-sector teleworking. China reports that a widespread H5N1 virus outbreak in birds has infected humans there and deaths have been reported for the first time. Deaths have also occurred in Indonesia, and people have been infected in Viet Nam. Many experts at the World Health Organization believe the world is closer to a pandemic now than anytime since 1968 when over 1 million died from the Hong Kong Flu.
The Telework Coalition (TelCoa) telcoa.org, a telework advocacy and educational organization and the Association of Contingency Planners (ACP) acp-international.com, which represents disaster planning professionals, have formed an alliance to promote Business Continuity Planning and Telework to enable businesses and governments to better cope with disasters. The alliance points out that distributed work (teleworking) can help to slow the spread of disease by limiting physical contact between individuals. This is possible because many jobs and tasks no longer require employees to be together at formal workplaces. Employers can create virtual teams of “clean” core employees to continue vital mission-critical activities.
To enable distributed work, Congress is urged to pass and President Bush to sign three bills that eliminate barriers and provide incentives to encourage telework on all levels. The Telecommuting Tax Fairness Act of 2005, (S. 1097 and H.R. 2558), will stop the unfair double taxation of interstate telecommuters. The Parents’ Tax Relief Act of 2005 (S.1305 and H.R.3080) and The Telework Tax Incentive Act (S. 1292) provide tax credits to businesses and individuals that establish and participate in telework programs.
“There is a need to both protect the population and to assure the continuity of business and government operations. Barriers to teleworking must be overcome if we are to adopt this method of working” says ACP CEO/Chairman Paul Striedl. “To achieve these and other goals, the Telework Coalition and ACP have formed this strategic alliance.”
TelCoa points out that Canadian authorities quarantined buildings to prevent the spread of SARS in 2003. Affected employers had their employees telework. The TelCoa/ACP Alliance expects that similar measures could be taken in the U.S. if the bird flu turns into a pandemic, as health experts predict. If schools are closed for an extended period and parents have to be at home to care for their children, how will economic activity continue without a distributed work capability having been established and, most importantly, practiced?
“When you have dangerous airborne-spread diseases the best way to contain and respond to an outbreak is by minimizing or avoiding contact between individuals,” said TelCoa President and CEO Chuck Wilsker. “With the widespread availability of broadband and secure remote access, the U.S. can economically survive these outbreaks if governments and businesses act by urgently adopting, promoting and practicing telework. This is no longer an option, but a matter of survival -- telework must be included as an integral part of all business and government continuity plans.”
Wilsker emphasizes that putting a plan in place will have far reaching benefits beyond a bird flu outbreak. “These programs are applicable for events ranging from severe weather emergencies and traffic problems to terrorist situations. Plus, the telework ROI benefits to an organization’s bottom line have been proven over many years.”
To further address this topic, the Telework Coalition and The Association of Contingency Planners will be holding a panel discussion, with a luncheon, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on December 8, 2005. The keynote speaker for the event will be former Virginia Governor James Gilmore, Chairman of the National Council on Readiness and Preparedness (NCORP).
Side notes
TelCoa suggests the following to facilitate implementation of telework programs:
• Determine who in your organization is in a position to perform their duties from home. This would include workers who spend the majority of their time on the computer and/or phone. Further, modify work activities so they can be carried out from home; for instance, this may mean digitizing many more of your records and information.
• Coordinate with your IT departments to verify that these workers have a secure means to remotely access the corporate network(s),
• Develop and coordinate with managers an immediate plan to train workers on the basics of working from home and how a telework strategy promotes your organization’s objectives and very survival.
• As soon as a plan is in place, test your plan, evaluate it, adjust and refine it as necessary and test it again and again until telework becomes a part of your working culture.
• Develop a two way notification system to let your staff know when your emergency telework program is in effect and, so they can report their whereabouts and receive instructions and support.
About the Telework Coalition
Based in Washington, D.C., the Telework Coalition is a not for profit 501 (c) (6) corporation that brings together a diverse array of organizations, companies and individuals with the common interest of promoting awareness and adoption of existing and emerging Telework and Telecommuting applications. The coalition’s mission is summed up in their tag line, “Enabling virtual, mobile and distributed work through education, technology and legislation.”
About the Association of Contingency Planners
The Association of Contingency Planners (ACP), is a non-profit trade association dedicated to fostering continued professional growth and development in effective Contingency & Business Resumption Planning. The purpose of ACP is to provide an environment for the exchange of experiences and information. This includes identification of common planning needs and potential recovery response solutions as well as networking opportunities through local and national alliances.
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