With increasing fears surfacing about the impact of H1N1 on businesses, many employers have relied on contingency plans to ensure readiness. H1N1, also known as the Swine Flu, has already begun impacting businesses worldwide, forcing all industries to be prepared. Consider the following scenario: You are the CEO of a successful consulting firm that relies heavily on fellow employees and technology to aid in everyday interactions with your clients. A Division Head has just returned from a business meeting in New York and has called a team meeting. Although he appears to not be feeling well, his first instinct is to shrug it off and continue with his meeting. The next day, five employees arrive at work feeling sick. By the third day, it is confirmed that the entire office has been exposed to the H1N1 virus, so the firm is forced to close until further notice. Because the team has never adapted to working entirely in a remote capacity, serious problems arise very quickly. Within a week, chaos ensues as communication breaks down, leaving multiple clients without support. If the firm had adapted a continuity plan for an outbreak like the H1N1, then the team would have been able to function remotely using their pre-planned flow of communication. Within this continuity plan, employees will have all of their questions answered in a simple guide to successfully working in a remote capacity that will best serve the client needs. The CEO in the scenario above failed to implement a plan as part of the company's best practices, which quickly led to the firm's loss of credibility among the business sector of the community. To avoid being this CEO, the following tips have been outlined by Entrepreneur Magazine in a simple, six step plan that may be modified accordingly:

Scott Eblin, executive coach and author of The Next Level, What Insiders Know about Executive Success, has done a remarkable job of capturing the characteristics of "Next Level Leadership".

Best Practices: RIF Tips for Management Reductions in Force (RIF) usually come at a time when companies can least afford distraction. Operations become significantly harder as you work through the process of notifying workers, supporting current employees, and finding ways to compensate for staffing changes throughout your organization. These changes will take a significant amount of management bandwidth and a thoughtful and well-implemented RIF strategy. Downsizing your workforce may be the most viable solution to counteract decreased revenues and difficult economic challenges, but should never be a "knee jerk" reaction. To ensure that your company will get through the process unscathed, we've compiled a set of Best Practices and Considerations in Conducting a RIF. These include: Get HR Involved at the Beginning Explore Alternatives to Layoffs Consider ALL the Stakeholders Mitigate Legal Risks Don't Focus Solely on the Short Term Tip One: Get HR Involved at the Beginning A successful workforce reduction process requires careful and early planning. Companies that get through the process with minimal difficulties utilize Human Resources as a trusted advisor. Work with your HR department today to develop systematic processes that identify company-wide, department, and individual criteria that will be used for the RIF.