Caterer Elsie's Kitchen gets a hand from guide on business continuity planning

Caterer Elsie's Kitchen is finding ways to survive the economic downturn with help from a nifty guide by Enterprise Singapore.

While it is mostly known for its catering business, the company is now upping its game in delivery, by sending rice sets to front-line healthcare personnel and the foreign worker dormitories under quarantine due to the coronavirus.

Staff preparing food observe social distancing measures while those in the sales, creative, marketing and finance departments work from home.

The firm has also had to grapple with the difficulties faced by foreign work pass holders among its staff, while scrambling for resources such as packaging material and ingredients for the packed meals.

Managing director Reuben Ang said: "A rather insipid effort was made previously to plan for contingency scenarios such as the current global pandemic.

"But since then, Enterprise Singapore's guide has helped us clarify our pandemic response plan, lines of crisis communication and health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of our staff. Alternative manpower sources and the identification of essential supplies for stockpiling were also constructive outcomes of the advisory."

Guidelines for business continuity practices have come under the spotlight during the coronavirus crisis as companies have to telecommute, assess their operations and implement safety measures.

The Singapore standard for business continuity management, in place since the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic, helps businesses to be prepared during crises.

A guide based on the standard was developed specifically for the coronavirus crisis around the end of January and has been revised twice since, with the third edition updated on the Enterprise Singapore website last week.

Mr Cheong Tak Leong, Enterprise Singapore director for standards, said: "With circuit breaker measures now in place... leading to the closure of most workplaces, it is even more imperative for essential services, which are still in operation, to take these measures seriously to safeguard their workers, partners and customers.

"For enterprises that have shifted wholly to working from home, business continuity measures also need to be in place to adjust to the ever-changing situation and anticipate further disruptions to their existing supply chains or business processes."

For example, he said, enterprises that were previously reliant on physical modes of business operations or sales are encouraged to adapt their services through digital means, such as online food orders, contactless deliveries for logistics companies, or online consultancy services through video conferencing for consultancy firms.

Those that are still at workplaces should provide wider physical spacing of at least 1m for workstations, for instance. They might also need to have an isolation room for employees who develop symptoms.

Mr Ong Liong Chuan, chairman of the technical committee on enabling processes under the Singapore Standards Council overseen by Enterprise Singapore, said the aim of the guide is to help small and medium-sized enterprises to better respond to the crisis, while aiding bosses in discharging their responsibilities to shareholders, customers, suppliers and employees.

Elsie's Kitchen has made alternative arrangements to boost its workforce - such as by employing temporary workers - and to accommodate Malaysian staff who have chosen to stay in Singapore.

Mr Ang said supply has largely caught up with the demand for materials and supplies, with manufacturers responding by increasing output or releasing stockpiles.

On the Enterprise Singapore guide, Singapore Business Federation chief executive Ho Meng Kit said: "These standards serve as a compass to help companies overcome disruptions to their operations and outline practical procedures companies can implement to sustain their businesses in the face of disruption. Amid uncertainty, these standards help provide some stability to companies and their workforces."