Work: A Thing You Do, Not A Place You Go
[link to www.biosmagazine.co.uk]

For years commentators have been advocating a broader adoption of home or flexible working to address a myriad of issues created by our ever demanding 24/7 lifestyle.

Furthermore, with predictions of a flu pandemic in the not-too-distant future, there is now an even stronger case for home/flexible working. In the UK, the Health Protection Agency suggests that the most likely rate of infection and mortality will be in the order of 25% (clinical attack rate) and 0.37% (case-fatality rate) respectively.

With schools and public transport shut down to prevent infection, employees simply will not be able to get to work. Enabling flexible and home working is not just the only sensible solution to society’s current challenges but also a failsafe approach that will enable real continuity in the face of forthcoming business and economic upheaval.

According to the government’s own chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, it is a matter of when, not if, a flu pandemic develops over the next few years. And, when such a pandemic occurs, within a matter of weeks the world will have fallen into a sustained period of business disruption, with illness and death on a scale that will overwhelm health resources worldwide. England and Wales alone could face more than 600,000 deaths, causing the economy to come to a stand still.

At the first sign of a pandemic, governments will close schools and public transport in a bid to minimise viral transmission, while businesses will have to shut off air conditioning units to prevent circulation of contagion. Immediately, whether they are ill or not, employees will be unable or unwilling to make it to a central office with the fears of secondary and tertiary infection spreading within months of the initial outbreak. Businesses could also effectively stop, for an indefinite period.
...