UOB Business Administration College Held a Virtual Seminar on
“The New Normal Status – Business Continuity after COVID-19“
The Administration and Marketing Department of the Business Administration College at UOB held on Wednesday July 15, 2020 at 11:00 am, via Microsoft Teams, a virtual general seminar for students, academics and the public entitled “The New Normal Status – Business Continuity after COVID-19”.
Ms. Samah Yousif AlHamad – Supervisor of Business Flexibility at BAPCO touched on seven principal themes related to the approach of a working life after the Corona pandemic (COVID-19) as follows: evaluate the institutions readiness to adapt to changes, determine the support required upon return, apply the required protocols to approve a safe return to work, assess the strength of business continuity plans, identify operational points for business continuity plans, evaluate the effectiveness of communication channels, and develop measures for governance of the return system.
Haifa Muhammad Khalaf, Associate Professor at the College of Business Administration at the University of Bahrain – who moderated the seminar – explained that the objective of this virtual seminar was to enable business institutions to develop an organized approach to the process of employees returning to the work place after the Corona pandemic (Covid 19). She pointed out that a platform to assess the readiness of enterprises for the return of employees was provided, in addition to determining the support required to ensure a smooth return to the work place.
Dr. Khalaf pointed out that the seminar, which was held in English, shed light on the new work standards recommended for application in enterprises after the Corona pandemic, so as to ensure the continuity of work and operations; as well as the protocols that needed to be applied at all levels to ensure the safe management of the pandemic, and the continuation of an effective working environment, according to best practices developed by international organizations such as: International Standards Organization, MARSH, and the National Safety Council. She noted that the importance of Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS) would be discussed and used to maintain the flexibility of organizational work in the face of any emerging or potential new risks.
She added that the return to work approach was designed with respect to the full cycle of a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) management system,” noting that it would cover each of these elements and a specific sector in this seminar, in order to ensure its effective implementation and preservation throughout the institution. She stressed that the discussion highlighted the importance of awareness and communication being the two basic elements in institutions; and focused on the same to build a basic level of awareness capable of responding and interacting in a timely manner.
Dr. Khalaf also reiterated the importance of measuring the success of implementation, as a primary tool to assess the ability of institutions in achieving their respective objectives, in addition to the importance of the governance process that is associated with the new system of returning to work to ensure its effectiveness.
Speaker AlHamad leads the institutional risk management and business continuity management system. She has assumed a number of other positions and has an accumulated experience of 15 years in BAPCO. She has worked as a Senior Occupational Hygienist, and Leader of Operational Excellence. She is also a member of the Corona Pandemic Crisis Management Team at BAPCO, and holds an MBCI certification by the British Business Continuity Institute, and an International Enterprise Risk Management Certificate by the British Risk Management Institute.
The seminar was broadcast via the direct link http://tiny.cc/37gwrz .
