This is despite growing clamour for action from regulators, insurers and customers.
 
The report, published by the Chartered Management Institute and Cabinet Office, warns that organisations are not doing enough to guard against technology and utility failures, enforced staff absence, or the impact of extreme weather. 

It argues that many UK employers in the construction and engineering sectors are ignoring the concerns outlined in the National Risk Register, although in limited areas there have been improvements. Moreover, the report demonstrates that where resilience measures are undertaken, companies are better placed to survive and thrive.
 
Based on the views of senior executives from across the sectors, key findings include:
 
- Low level protection: under half (32 per cent) of the respondents questioned said their organisation had plans in place to cope with business disruption. While this figure is worryingly low, it is an increase on last year
 
- Casual approach: 37 per cent of organisations don’t test their continuity plans at all, a figure that remains largely unchanged since 1999.  Just 37 per cent of Boards take responsibility for business continuity management.  Yet, 49 per cent of employees suggest business continuity is seen as important by their employer.
 
- Registering risk: UK managers in the construction and engineering sectors are most worried about electronic attacks (54 per cent), human disease knocking out the workforce (46 per cent), the impact of severe weather (42 per cent), and destruction of critical infrastructure (41 per cent).  However, just 26 per cent of organisations have plans in place to cater for IT loss and only 17 per cent are prepared to cope with enforced absence of staff or severe weather (16 per cent).
 
Since the study was last undertaken, in February 2008, it has become clear that nationally the major risk feared by UK organisations has been loss of IT (40 per cent) – a finding consistent with the fears expressed over the past decade. 

Unsurprisingly, given recent conditions, 25 per cent also said their business had suffered due to extreme weather, but today more (44 per cent) are worried about the impact than they were ten years ago (18 per cent).  In the current environment, it is also worth noting that 25 per cent have experienced problems due to negative publicity or damage to brand reputation resulting from poor business continuity planning.