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:
Identifying an Emergency Plan Coordinator/Safety Warden
Creating Reporting Protocol Based on Incident/Emergency
Establishing Evacuation Procedures and a Safe Meeting Spot or Alternate Work Location
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.
Disaster Preparedness in the Workplace
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