Firms rely on British pluckiness at times of crisis

Firms are relying on people, not processes to get them through disasters in the workplace

According to British Telecom firms are relying on not much more than plucky British spirit to get them through times of IT disaster.

The survey, which was commissioned by BT Global Services, polled UK employees about their firms' attitudes to disaster recovery, and found that few had plans in place.

In times of crisis bosses are more likely to turn to their staff, and their enthusiasm to pull together and solve a problem, than to refer to already set up plans and procedures said the survey.

Seventy-three per cent of respondents said that they believed that their employer would rely on their 'personal dedication' as opposed to an alternative solution. Just over a third were unaware of any processes in place at their firm, while 41 percent either did not understand plans, or had not studied them at all.

Tim Smart, chief executive at BT Global Services, commented, "The research has highlighted an alarming lack of understanding among UK employees when it comes to how they and their organisation can best cope with a disaster", and advised company chiefs to properly communicate their business continuity plans to staff.

Where the British bulldog spirit currently takes over is in employees' desire to return to work after a crisis. Over three-quarters of respondents said that they would be back at their desks as soon as possible, while 61 per cent admitted that they felt the smooth running of their firm was their responsibility.

Smart added: “This ‘Bulldog spirit’ is something UK businesses should harness. Explaining business continuity roles and responsibilities to employees will focus their loyalty and resilience on areas that will be of most use in the event of a disaster.