From the National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices.
Read the full PDF here: Strategies for Effective Pandemic Planning
Executive Summary:
An influenza pandemic or other widespread disease outbreak has the potential to overwhelm the routine operations of government, disrupt the economy, and stress the normal functioning of society. Maintaining essential state services during a pandemic will require not only innovative strategies but the adaptation of existing procedures and policies to meet the extraordinary challenges posed by such an event. And because the effects of a pandemic will be felt by agencies and activities far removed from the health sector, response planning must include not just state public health agencies but every sector of government and every segment of society-both public and private.
In 2007 and early 2008, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) conducted a series of regional pandemic preparedness workshops involving 55 states and territories and the District of Columbia to examine the non-medical implications of a pandemic. The workshops explored continuity of government, the provision of essential government services, the maintenance of critical infrastructure, and the effects of a pandemic on commerce and the economy. Policies to effectively protect and manage state workers were consistently found to be among the leading concerns of workshop participants and, as such, are the focus of this Issue Brief.
The sick leave, vacation time, telecommuting, flex-time, and other workforce policies used by state governments during “normal” operations may not be adequate to ensure the continuity of government during a pandemic emergency. High rates of absenteeism-and over extended periods of time-could occur not just because employees are ill but because they may have to care for ill family members or for children who have been dismissed from school. In addition, some employees may never return to work because of illness, death, or personal reasons. Policies and procedures to effectively manage workers must reflect those extraordinary conditions.
Specific workforce-related challenges during a pandemic include:
Maintaining continuity of government, including the delivery of essential services to the state;
The development of policies to minimize the effects of pandemic on the workforce; and
The development of policies to address worker shortages to maintain essential services.
Effective policies must protect both the public and workers while resulting in the continuation of essential government services. Governors can play a critical role in providing the leadership required to develop effective workforce policies. In so doing, they should consider the following strategies:
Create multiagency steering committees to identify those services that must be maintained during a pandemic and, in collaboration with public health agencies, develop statewide government workforce policies;
During the planning process, assess the state workforce against those essential services to determine which personnel are essential, which personnel can be easily reassigned, and which departments, agencies, or offices could close during a pandemic emergency;
During a pandemic, address worker shortages in essential areas by reassigning healthy employees, drawing on alternative worker pools-such as recently retired state employees and private temporary workers-and seeking volunteers from nonessential staff;
Stop the spread of a pandemic in the workplace by providing adequate leave and incentives for ill employees to stay at home, promote social distancing measures and sanitary work environments, and allow for alternative work schedules-including telecommuting and flexible scheduling; and
Explore partnerships with labor unions and private sector partners to raise awareness of the threat and develop coordinated and consistent workforce strategies to avoid perceptions of unequal treatment.
