Banks rely on outsourcing for a wide assortment of services. Has anyone given thought to the role of outsourcing during a widespread disaster--like the feared flu pandemic? Are you lining up outsourcers (perhaps in other parts of the country or abroad) to step in for disabled staff members? What types of activities are most likely to be outsourced in an extended bio-disaster? Are new types of outsourcers announcing their availability to take on vital bank functions?

Regarding outsourcing, I considered asking current outsourcers about their pandemic contingency measures as part of due diligence. However I cannot see how outsourcing during an epidemic would help or could be properly handled?

Perhaps I'm just not getting it.

Off the top of my head, two things that could be considered for outsourcing temporarily to distant locations(obviously with well layed plans in place ahead of time) would be a customer call center and IT help desk. If your part of the country was hit hard and the area where the call center was not affected, they could step in. It might not be far fetched to consider having more than one vendor on the shelf.

I have been doing a lot of research regarding a pandemic episode in order to prepare my pandemic BCP. Most health resources I've found indicate that a good pandemic plan should plan for a 35% reduction in staffing. That's what I am basing my plan on, and I am not planning to include the need for outsourcing. At a 35% absentee rate, we could still operate our bank with our own resources.

You'll probably experience more than a 35% drop in lobby activity and other face-to-face customer contact. If that's the case, call centers and Internet communications may pick up some of the slack. These support functions could be handled at home by employees who are caring for sick family members.