LSA's BCP in place to tackle demand for language assistance in the event of a potential swine flu pandemic

LSA (Language Services Associates), a leading provider of premium language-based solutions, today announced its comprehensive business continuity plan (BCP) for the 2009-2010 flu season. The strategy, which was devised by LSA’s BCP project management team, has been created to ensure the company is prepared for an increase in demand for language assistance in the event of a potential Swine Flu pandemic.

“Should there be an outbreak of the H1N1 virus, the need for language services will undoubtedly increase,” said Laura Schriver, Founder and CEO, LSA. “Health care institutions will see a surge in acute care, federal and state agencies will become inundated with calls from the general public and companies with on-site interpreters will potentially be forced to outsource language requests. We have devised this comprehensive BCP to ensure our operations and service to clients is not adversely affected in the event of a flu epidemic.”

LSA’s BCP consist of two stages: a preventive stage and a full implementation of the plan. Stage I includes a myriad of preventive measures, such as giving employees the option to telecommute, handing out masks for those working on-site, encouraging conference calls or Internet-based meetings rather than face-to-face interactions and offering a flu shot incentive program for employees.

In stage II, a blast email and call tree will be initiated by a member of the BCP project management team to inform employees that the BCP is in effect. From there, customized action plans will be implemented on a department-by-department basis, with top-tier management and the LSA executive team supervising all activities.

Throughout the past month, LSA has taken numerous pre-disaster initiatives, such as cross-training to ensure adequate backup for the call center, delivering antibacterial hand sanitizer to every work station and setting up an internal instant messaging system for easy communication between on-site and work from home employees.