HEADLINE: BRUNEI DARUSSALAM- Ministries, organisations called to activate business continuity plan
Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah/ Izah Azahari
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To maintain the health and safety of the Brunei Darussalam workforce, each ministry and organisation is required to immediately activate its business continuity plan (BCP) protocols, by which all officers and staff who can perform duties on a work from home (WFH) basis should be arranged to work-from-home, while only essential workers work in the office.
This was stated by Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah during a press conference at the Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday.
The minister was providing further clarification on matters regarding the announcement by Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar on Monday on the additional tightening of control measures to note as guidelines.
“The activation of the BCP must be implemented without compromising the core functions and services in the organisations,” Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew said.
“For instance, an organisation or department with 100 employees has identified 20 people as essential workers who can only perform tasks on site, that is work from office (WFO), while 80 other workers have been identified as able to work from home.
“In this scenario, the WFO workforce should be divided into two groups, which will carry out tasks in separate places or buildings without physical communication between the two groups. That is, Group A works in place or Building A, while Group B works in place or Building B.
“As a second example, where a number of essential workers is very large, the workforce group that will WFO should be divided into three or four groups and work in three or four separate locations, without physical communication.
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“Alternatively, such groups may also be required to work in the office building on a rotating basis, according to a set schedule. This rotation schedule shall be set by the head of department.”
The minister said, “The essential workers must be identified by each head of unit based on their duties and responsibilities. They must be presented for the approval of the respective head of department or organisation, for their arrangement to WFO.
“Each head of department or organisation is responsible for the deliverables required from the teams during the WFH period. Steps will be taken to ensure the function and delivery of services are not disrupted.”
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The minister added, “The ministry or organisation’s BCP must be updated as appropriate, based on the enforced regulations, while the standard operating procedure must be prepared and implemented for the storage of work equipment and official documents required for WFH.
“Where applicable, supplier companies or vendors making deliveries to office buildings should be identified and contacted by their respective teams to confirm that the BCP protocol is compatible for delivery or supply, and suggest alternative procedures if necessary.
“The activation of the WFH protocol is valid for two weeks and is subject to the COVID-19 outbreak situation in the country.
“The ministry or organisation must also inform officers, staff and the public, if applicable, thoroughly and clearly on the implementation of the BCP.”
The minister also reminded organisations in the public and private sectors to maintain the cleanliness of their premises in accordance with the SOP issued by the MoH.
“The cited measures are meant to ensure that the organisation’s BCP functions smoothly in protecting and maintaining the well-being of the workforce, and curbing the risk of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country,” he said.
