NOVEMBER 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Disaster Preparedness in the Workplace
What is Human Resources' Role in Preparing for the Worst?
By: Chelsey Moore
HR Business Partner
The recent hurricanes and flooding on the east coast and the ever more common natural and man-made threats throughout the rest of the country bring about an important question -
Just what is HR’s role in disaster preparedness?
In HR we are tasked with a wide array of duties, from meeting company objectives, to maintaining compliance, overseeing payroll, and performance management, but maybe most importantly- ensuring the health and safety of employees. This is where our focus is today. To ensure that employees are safe it is necessary to consider daily safety such as work environment, office security, etcetera. Because natural disasters and other external threats happen so rarely, these may slip off our radar. I’ll start by sharing a story from one of our Vida HR leaders, and then break down what was done right, what could have been done to be more prepared, and what you and your team should have in place as a disaster and safety plan.
The below is from Regina Dyerly, Chief Operating Officer -
“In June 2012, when the Waldo Canyon Fire swept through Colorado Springs, my company at the time, a call center located in the impacted Rockrimmon area with several hundred employees, was caught unprepared. As the fire approached, we had to evacuate, standing outside with tears in our eyes as we watched the fire spread.
Despite the shock, we acted quickly. We rented the largest U-Haul— which I actually drove—packed up all our computers and equipment, and, with a police escort, moved to a local high school, which was closed for summer break.
It was a race against time to set up internet, stations, and communicate with employees, some of whom were being evacuated from their homes or worried about their jobs. Thankfully, our clients were understanding. Just as we were getting somewhat up and running, we were given the go-ahead to return to our office, and then faced the daunting task of moving everything back.
This experience taught us hard lessons about the importance of having a disaster plan, including a clear communication strategy when disaster strikes. We leaned heavily on a Facebook company group page for external communication during the evacuation, which worked so well that we made it a part of our new hire onboarding process to streamline communication without having to call everyone. As part of our overall response, we also began setting up a percentage of our workforce to work remotely, preparing for future emergencies—this was back in 2012, long before remote work was as common as it is today.”
In this situation Regina's team did a great job of protecting the employees and ensuring that they could continue operations by moving both the employees and computer equipment to a safe space. By utilizing Facebook, the team was able to create a single space for all employees to connect. Considering the timing of this situation, before Teams was commonly used, Regina's team did a great job finding a way to connect all employees.
Bottom Line - You Need a Safety Plan
This experience provides an example of the importance of a safety plan. The area where Regina's company was located in Colorado Springs is a prime area for wildfires. In this case it would have been prudent to have a fire warden on staff that knows the evacuation plan and has a contact list for all employees. Additionally, it is helpful for call centers to have backup plans in case the call center or staff is compromised. An example would be a contracted secondary call center to take any customer calls while the organization is dealing with the disaster.
Here are some terms to know and some steps to take to help you and your team create a Disaster Preparedness or Emergency Action Plan for your organization.
Consider what Potential Risks there are to the Team, Physical Locations, and Operations.
Determining Risk Mitigation and Emergency response.
Create an Emergency Action Plan.
This includes:
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Identifying an Emergency Plan Coordinator/Safety Warden
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Creating Reporting Protocol Based on Incident/Emergency
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Establishing Evacuation Procedures and a Safe Meeting Spot or Alternate Work Location
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Creating a Phone Tree and Communication Procedures
Thinking Locally
Hurricanes & Flooding
These plans will vary depending on facility and employee locations. An office that is in a hurricane zone will likely need to include emergency exit strategies for employees, work from home options for employees that might need to evacuate, EAP (employee assistance plan) options for employees that are affected by flooding, and mobile resources for temporarily relocating the base of operations in the case of the office being compromised.
Heavy Snow
Companies in locations that are prone to heavy snow will need similar plans that potentially allow for employees to work from home during blizzards or unsafe weather. It is also important to consider what to do if employees are unable to work because of lack of electricity or internet. In these cases, it is valuable to have secondary options, such as the previously mentioned contracted call center.
Earthquake, Fire, & Flood (Within the Office)
Safety plans should also include instructions on what to do if a disaster strikes within the office, such as a fire, flood, or earthquake. All offices should have an escape route and a safe meeting spot outside of the building. Having an up to date hard copy contact list that the safety warden can take with them is wise, this way if the servers are compromised all employees can be contacted and accounted for. It is important for the safety warden to have basic emergency training so that they can lead the rest of the team to a safe area and secure all employees.
Active Shooter & Human Threats
Though this is an unpleasant thought, and I sincerely hope that no readers need to respond to this situation, having a plan for an active shooter or other human threat can save lives and reduce injuries. Training employees where to go if there is a human threat (such as locked offices, or other floors) is a key component of addressing these situations. Additionally, it is vital to work with the facilities or security team to practice lock-down and lock-out procedures to keep any outside threats out. This can include key entry door locks, emergency door barricades, and active threat door locks that are easy to use.
Benefits & Compensation Plan
Finally, it is helpful to work with the compensation team and leadership to determine what benefits, if any may be given to employees who are affected by natural or man-made disasters. This can include free access to an EAP, hotel vouchers, catastrophic time off, and/or varied work schedules. Having a policy in place that includes all emergency preparedness information and potential employee benefits will allow your team to subjectively handle any disaster in a fair and effective way.
It is also prudent to ensure that the payroll team has options to deliver pay to employees in cases of company closure or other disasters that may impact employee pay.
Bottom line, we may not know when disasters or emergency situations may strike, but we can ensure that our team is safe and minimally affected with the proper planning and protocols in place.
Executive Dashboard
In today’s fast-paced business environment, executives need access to real-time data to make informed, strategic decisions. The isolved Executive Dashboard provides high-level visibility into your workforce metrics and organizational trends, offering executives and managers a user-friendly platform to access vital company data. With customizable views and easy-to-read charts, this dashboard helps you gain instant insight into financial performance, workforce demographics, headcounts, and much more, all in one centralized location.
Customizable Data Views
The isolved Executive Dashboard is designed with flexibility in mind, allowing users to filter data by various categories to fit specific business needs:
Company
Select data for a specific legal company or view all data at once with the “ALL” option.
Pay Group
Drill down into data by pay group to get granular insights into compensation trends.
Org. Category
Easily view data for different departments or organization fields.
Date Range
Set custom date ranges to view historical or current data, allowing for trend analysis over time.
Key Metrics at a Glance
The isolved Executive Dashboard is designed with flexibility in mind, allowing users to filter data by various categories to fit specific business needs:
Headcount and Employment Categories:
Instantly visualize your company’s full-time, part-time, and employee contract counts. The dashboard also provides insights into tenure, helping you understand employee retention rates and identify turnover trends.
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Headcount Trends: Track the growth of your workforce over time and spot any fluctuations in hiring or attrition.
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New Hires: Keep tabs on new hires during specific timeframes to monitor recruitment effectiveness.
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Tenure Analysis: Visualize employee retention over time, which is critical for identifying and nurturing top talent.
Financial Snapshots:
Gain immediate visibility into your company’s gross payroll expenses. The dashboard breaks down payroll by type—regular pay, overtime, PTO, and other pay types—allowing for deeper analysis of labor costs.
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Gross Payroll by Month: View the total gross payroll for any given month, allowing you to analyze patterns and identify areas for potential cost-saving measures.
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Payroll by Pay Type: Break down payroll data by regular earnings, overtime, leave, and other types of pay to understand where labor costs are concentrated.
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Employee Terminations: Analyze turnover statistics and termination trends. The dashboard shows termination data over time, making it easier to identify patterns and determine whether any departments or roles are experiencing higher-than-expected turnover.
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Termination by Timeframe: View employee terminations over any selected period, helping you track voluntary and involuntary departure
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Insights
Support Your DEI Initiatives
Gain valuable insights into the gender, age, and ethnicity makeup of your workforce. The isolved Executive Dashboard helps you track diversity metrics in alignment with your organization’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace.
Gender and Ethnicity Representation
Visualize the diversity of your workforce to ensure you’re building a more inclusive environment, while meeting compliance requirements for federal reporting (if applicable).
Age
Distribution
Understand your workforce’s age demographics, which can be useful for planning initiatives around talent development and succession.
User-Friendly Visuals for
Informed Decision-Making
The isolved Executive Dashboard uses pie charts and line graphs to visually represent data, making it easy for executives to identify trends and take action. Rather than relying on manually created reports, leaders can instantly access and interpret complex data, from labor trends to payroll costs, all within a few clicks.
Visual Data Representation
The dashboard offers intuitive pie charts for demographic and payroll breakdowns, while line graphs display trends over time, making it easy to monitor key metrics and identify shifts in workforce dynamics.
Streamline Financial and Compliance Decisions
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance
For companies nearing ACA thresholds, the isolved Executive Dashboard provides visibility into full-time and part-time employee counts to ensure compliance.
Expense Forecasting
With real-time payroll insights, executives can easily forecast labor expenses and make informed decisions to align staffing with budget goals.
Monitor Growth, Performance, and Compliance
Hiring and Growth Trends
Use the dashboard to analyze departmental growth, track hiring patterns, and identify trends in employee turnover, providing valuable insights to HR and finance teams alike.
Diversity and Inclusion
Demographic insights allow companies to track diversity metrics, ensuring compliance and supporting broader DEI initiatives.
Centralized Data for Strategic Planning
The isolved Executive Dashboard centralizes all critical data, removing the need for manual reporting or data exports. Whether you’re analyzing headcount growth, payroll expenses, or termination trends, the dashboard provides all the information you need to make data-driven decisions that enhance organizational performance and compliance.
QUESTION:
Can I fire an employee for using OnlyFans?
I recently was told that one of my top-performing, client-facing employees is an active OnlyFans creator. While this activity is unrelated to their work, I’m concerned about potential impacts on our company’s reputation.
Can I fire an employee for using OnlyFans? How should I approach this situation?
Answer:
I understand your concern—balancing personal lives with professional roles can be tricky, especially with a top performer in a client-facing position. Here’s what I recommend:
Start with your company’s 'Code of Conduct':
Does it mention anything about off-duty behavior that could harm the business or your brand? If you have clear policies in place, that’s your first guide. If not, the key question is whether this outside activity directly impacts their job or your company’s image.
Consider the Actual Impact:
While an OnlyFans account might raise eyebrows, the real question is: does it hurt your business or affect client relationships? If their performance hasn’t dropped and clients are not aware or complaining, it might not be a company issue. As a small business owner who’s deeply focused on your business, it’s important to remember that employees are entitled to personal lives outside of work.
The Legal Side:
In many states, employees are protected by laws that allow them to engage in lawful, off-duty conduct, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their job. So, firing someone purely based on their personal choices could be legally complicated. It’s important to tread carefully.
Open a Respectful Dialogue:
If you believe this could damage your company’s reputation, consider having a calm, respectful conversation with the employee. Keep it focused on professionalism, not judgment, and let them know you are concerned about any potential overlap between their personal and professional lives, as well as how clients or stakeholders might perceive their outside activities. It is also a good idea to have a neutral witness present for the discussion.
Finally, Seek Legal Advice:
If, after considering everything, you still feel there is a conflict for your business, consulting with an employment attorney is a smart move to ensure you are not overstepping any legal boundaries or violating employee rights.
Navigating this with fairness and care will help protect your business while maintaining trust with your employees.
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT
Hello, I'm Chelsey!
I moved to Colorado in 2007 to be closer to family. I grew up in Tucson, Arizona, but I am glad to be away from the heat and enjoy the seasons in Denver. I started in HR in 2012 after more than 10 years in restaurant management. I specialize in employee engagement and growth and development and love being able to coach leaders so that they can more effectively lead their teams.
The Predictive Index classifies me as an Altruist. This being a congenial and cooperative employee with an efficient work ethic. Likely this is why I am driven to provide opportunities to employees and coworkers alike. I love being in the weeds with teammates and helping to find a way out again.
A little about me:
I am a single mother to an exceptional 15-year-old son. When we aren’t watching Anime or playing Mortal Kombat together he is likely socializing with his friends, and I am more than likely crafting. I have an array of hobbies which usually include building or crafting a new quirky object to hang on my walls. We have 4 cats, and two pet rats all who we absolutely love. We are definitely city mice but enjoy getting up to the mountains when we can, and also enjoy biking or rowing around Wash Park when the weather is nice.