12 Days of Christmas Business Preparation

Business continuity planning helps your business stay operational during unexpected events such as severe weather, outages, supply chain issues, or staff shortages. It identifies what is essential to keep your business running and outlines practical steps to manage disruptions.

Developing a plan is a simple way to protect revenue, maintain customer confidence, and support faster recovery when challenges arise.

To get started, review your key operations, critical roles, and supplier dependencies, then map out contingency actions and communication processes. Test the plan regularly so your team understands their responsibilities and your business can respond confidently when disruptions occur.

Key actions:

• Test parts of your plan from time to time, such as an evacuation, a system outage, or a supplier delay, to make sure it works in practice.
• Visit Business Queensland to access free guides, templates, and resources to help you get started.
• List the risks that could affect your business—such as severe weather, supply issues, staff shortages, or IT problems—and write down how you would reduce or respond to each one.
• Identify your most important business functions so you know what must be restored first after a disruption.

Managing finances ahead of the festive and wet season strengthens business resilience.

With fluctuating sales, increased expenses, and potential shutdown periods, it is essential to review cash flow, update budgets, and ensure cash reserves can cover ongoing costs.

Having a clear financial snapshot helps you respond quickly if revenue or costs vary unexpectedly.

Key actions:

• Consider scenarios such as supply delays, unexpected price increases, or reduced revenue. Set aside a cash buffer to manage the holiday period, ensuring you can cover ongoing costs during any shutdown or slower trading weeks, and maintain resilience if unexpected expenses, supplier delays, or downturns occur.
• Avoid high-cost short-term finance options, such as pay day lenders, that may place the business starting the new year at a disadvantage.
• Assess your business’s financial risks—including internal and external factors such as natural disasters, economic downturns, supply chain disruptions, or unexpected costs—and explore available Queensland Government assistance programs or support options that may apply in defined disaster situations.

If your business operates in sectors vulnerable to natural disasters, note that the Queensland Government provides financial help (grants or low‑interest loans) under defined disaster‑affected conditions.

Fringe Benefits Tax: Are you entertaining this festive season? 

With the holiday season on the way you may be planning to celebrate with your staff, customers, and suppliers. Before you hire a restaurant or book an event, make sure you work out if the benefits you provide your employees are considered entertainment related and subject to fringe benefits tax.

Visit the Australian Tax Office for information and resources. 

Verifying your insurance coverage is an essential step in protecting your business from unexpected events.

Ensure all policies—including property, liability, business interruption, stock, and specific seasonal risks such as flood or cyclone—are current and adequate.

Seasonal periods often bring higher foot traffic, increased travel, or extreme weather, which may require additional coverage. Review your policies whenever your business expands or operations change, such as new premises, extra stock, or updated equipment, to avoid under-insurance.

Aligning your insurance with your risk and continuity plans helps safeguard your assets, staff, and operations, ensuring your business can respond effectively to any disruption.

Also see the Queensland Government’s advice on post-disaster situations such as insurance claims, profiteering, and recovering damaged products and documents.

The holiday season often brings public holidays, extended trading hours, and staff leave requests.

Ensure your business remains compliant by understanding staff entitlements, including annual leave, personal leave, long service leave, public holiday pay, overtime, and other award obligations.

Key actions:

• Familiarise yourself with the Queensland Employment Standards and any relevant modern awards or enterprise agreements.
• Check provisions for stand-downs during extreme weather or emergencies under the Fair Work Act.
• Plan rosters and leave early, communicate clearly with staff, and access support from the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Employer Advisory Service or Workplace Advice Service for guidance and tailored advice.

Maintaining up-to-date contact information is a simple but essential step in business continuity and risk management.

Keep current details for staff, suppliers, contractors, emergency services, building managers, and key community or business network contacts.

Accurate lists help reduce delays and stress when unexpected issues arise.

Store contact information in multiple accessible formats, including both hard copy and digital versions, to ensure it is usable even if systems fail.

Regularly review and update these lists as part of your preparedness planning.

Stay informed about local emergencies from local and state information dashboards.

Use these alerts to inform early decisions: secure property, adjust trading hours, communicate with staff and customers, or implement aspects of your business continuity plan.

Whitsunday Disaster Dashboard

The Whitsunday Regional Council’ ‘s Disaster Dashboard provides information residents and visitors to the Whitsunday area in preparation for, response to, and recovery from, disaster events likely to affect our region.

Small Business Disaster Hub

Business Queensland’s Small Business Disaster Hub has a range of resources to help you prevent, prepare, respond and recover from a disaster or emergency. Being prepared can help reduce damage to your business and get you back to business quickly.

Securing your premises and testing emergency procedures is essential to protect staff, customers, and assets, especially during the busy holiday and disaster season.

Key actions:

• Check locks, security systems, fire safety equipment, and evacuation routes.
• Conduct regular drills with your team for scenarios such as fire, power outages, floods, or evacuations, so everyone knows their roles and procedures.
• Secure outdoor furniture, bins, and other loose items that could become hazardous in high winds, and park vehicles under shelter where possible.
• Ensure your emergency kit includes clean water, a battery-powered radio, and essential supplies.

Incorporate these measures into your Business Continuity Plan, alongside building security, staff safety, and data protection.

Communicate procedures clearly with staff, keep updated contact lists, and review evacuation plans regularly.

Backing up critical business data is a key step in protecting your operations from unexpected disruptions.

Ensure all records—including financial information, customer databases, staff lists, supply chain details, and licences—are backed up securely both on-site and in the cloud.

Key actions:

• Ensure key business data is backed up and offsite, and you have a way to access it if you are offsite, or if there is a power outage.
• Regularly test restoration procedures to confirm that backups are functional and accessible, even during power outages or when working remotely.
• Keep emergency contact information handy for staff, suppliers, and insurers, and prepare internal communication plans to manage staff needs.
• Consider how you will notify customers and suppliers of potential delays, and update digital channels such as your website, email, and social media profiles.

Incorporate data backup and recovery into your broader Business Continuity Plan, alongside other risk and IT continuity measures.

Planning ahead and maintaining a clear checklist ensures your business can minimise disruption, respond quickly to incidents, and continue operations smoothly.

Maintaining a reserve of essential supplies is critical to keep your business operating during disruptions.

Stock items such as packaging, spare equipment, safety gear, backup power (torches, batteries), and emergency contact lists.

Retail or hospitality businesses may also benefit from keeping non-perishable items on hand.

Regularly review your supply chain to identify potential risks, such as delays from weather or other emergencies, and establish alternative suppliers where possible.

Incorporate these measures into your Business Continuity Plan to ensure you can respond quickly and continue trading.

Clear communication ensures staff can respond confidently to unexpected events, whether a sudden supply chain delay, extreme weather, or other operational disruption.

Key actions:

• Involve staff in planning and testing procedures to build resilience and reinforce preparedness. Include induction for new team members and schedule regular refreshers to maintain familiarity with emergency protocols and holiday schedules.
• Share your Business Continuity Plan, emergency procedures, staff roles, and contact lists so everyone understands expectations and responsibilities.
• Encourage questions and feedback to address any uncertainties.

Proactive communication strengthens both staff confidence and overall business resilience during high-demand and high-risk periods.

Clear communication with customers is vital during disruptions or the busy festive season.

Planning how you will communicate during and after disruptions, including delays or temporary closures, helps manage expectations, maintain trust, and protect your business reputation.

Key actions:

• Prepare messages in advance outlining operating hours, service changes, shipping schedules, and emergency contingencies.
• Use multiple channels—email, website updates, social media, and signage—to ensure your customers receive timely and consistent information. Include contact details so customers can reach your team with questions.

A proactive approach ensures customers feel informed, supported, and confident in your ability to continue providing services despite unexpected events.

Running a business during the festive season can be rewarding but also stressful.

Managing your wellbeing is essential for sustaining energy, focus, and effective decision-making.

Prioritise rest, reflection, and self-care to maintain resilience through busy trading periods or unexpected disruptions such as storms or supply issues.

Recognise that your health underpins your business’s sustainability.

Sharing resources and peer support among staff or fellow business owners can lighten the load and foster collective resilience.

Take advantage of available support tools: the Queensland Government’s Small Business Wellness Coaching provides free one-on-one emotional coaching, while the Mentoring for Growth program offers confidential access to experienced volunteer business mentors. Both services can help you address stress, navigate challenges, and plan for growth. Building regular wellbeing practices into your routine ensures you and your business are prepared to thrive during the holiday season and into the new year.