@Risk

Are companies today eliminating wellness programs in hopes of cutting costs?

That’s a good question, considering the current health care debate, apprehensions about employee absenteeism during the upcoming flu season, and the general push these days to improve risk management strategies.

Interestingly, preliminary results from a new survey of more than 400 employers indicate that less than 5% are planning to reduce or eliminate health and productivity programs, despite the downturn in the economy.

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Most businesses in the U.S. are unprepared for widespread employee absenteeism in the event of a swine flu outbreak, according to a Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) study released yesterday.

The Harvard Opinion Research Program at HSPH polled more than 1,000 companies from July 16 through August 12, 2009. The researchers found that only one-third of respondents believe they could sustain their business without severe operational problems if half their workforce were absent for two weeks due to H1N1.

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With news of the impending flu season now making headlines every week, it’s no surprise that lately I’ve been thinking about supplier risk in the medical products supply chain.

The globalization of manufacturing and supply of medical products has created an array of significant supplier risk management challenges for the industry, for governing organizations like the FDA, and for the international health care community as a whole.

Chief among these challenges are questions like these: How can the safety of medical products be ensured? and Who, ultimately, is responsible for securing the global medical products supply chain?

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Over the weekend, it was anticipation of a strike by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) employees that had me thinking about the human capital of supply chains.

Now, the spotlight is shining on that aspect of risk management again as yesterday, no less than three Cabinet secretaries from the Obama administration took the stage to urge employers to prepare for a widespread swine flu outbreak.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano held a joint news conference to release new federal guidelines designed to help businesses prepare for and respond to the upcoming flu season.

For example, federal officials are advising that employers:

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What poses the greatest risk to global supply chains these days? Financial failure.

That’s according to 75% of respondents in a new survey conducted by Aon and State of Flux.

Interestingly, though, only 7% of those polled had actually experienced losses related to financial exposure of suppliers. By contrast, the top reported reasons for supply chain disruptions were physical incidents at own sites (14%) and incidents at suppliers (12%).

Other highlights from the 34-page “2009 Risk in 21st Century Supply Chains” survey include:

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