Geodis BM is preparing to handle two major constraints in the event of a swine flu pandemic: the requisition of trucks by the government, and high employee absence levels. Its flu pandemic unit has drawn up the necessary contingency plans.

France’s haulage companies have been warned by the government: if swine flu causes widespread economic disruption, trucks will be requisitioned to deliver basic necessities such as food, medical supplies, fuel and water treatment products. While obviously in the public interest, this reallocation would be a major constraint for Geodis BM’s organisation and was foreseen by the flu pandemic planning unit, which we set up back in June 2009. The unit has drawn up contingency plans for the group to deal with demands from the public authorities and internal constraints.

Essential operations
"We are planning for all eventualities, with up to 40% of our employees being infected", explains Patrick Descharrières, deputy managing director and head of the planning unit. "If a large number of employees are absent we will place priority on maintaining essential operations, to receive and handle customers’ orders." Non-operational staff may be assigned to operational tasks, and sites short of sedentary staff and drivers will receive back-up from other sites. An excellent command of subcontracting, one of Geodis BM’s key strengths, will naturally be an asset in the event of large numbers of employees off sick. Lastly, the planning unit has set up distance working procedures for sedentary staff, made possible because an exceptionally high percentage (98%) of Geodis BM’s staff are equipped with computers.