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Industry examines bird flu implications
Australian superannuation funds are examining the likely impact and implications an epidemic such as bird flu would have on the superannuation sector.
Mercer Human Resource Consulting has issued a discussion paper, which not only looks at the current status of bird flu infections around the world, but suggests business organisations need to prepare for “best case” and “worst case” situations when considering its effect on personnel and the economy.
In the Australian superannuation context, industry spokespeople believe a bird flu epidemic has the capacity to seriously impact operations by incapacitating key personnel and undermining the operations of administration facilities such as call centres. The Mercer paper warns high rates of illness and worker absenteeism can be expected, and these could contribute to social and economic disruption.
“Social and economic disruptions could be temporary and last only a few weeks, but might be amplified in today’s closely interrelated and interdependent systems of trade and commerce,” it said.
AUTHOR
Mike Taylor
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