Designers should be getting ready for the Mexican wave

We designers are naturally optimistic folk, so most of us probably haven’t worried about swine flu yet.

But even if the virus comes nowhere near our premises it could have a serious effect on our business. Do any staff have children at school? What if their school gets closed? What plans do we have to ensure that the work still gets done?

I admit that we hadn’t even considered the consequences at FLB until a forward-looking member of staff suggested that it might be a good idea to put contingency plans in place for home-working for any of our staff, but particularly those with children of school age. Now those plans are in place.

It’ll probably never happen, but at least we’re ready if it does.

Guy Douglass, Managing director, FLB, by e-mail