Is it just me? It seems as though the fall months are a particularly vulnerable time for disasters.
Perhaps this is why September is National Preparedness Month, as announced online at Ready.gov. Launched in 2003, this national public service advertising campaign is designed to help Americans prepare for and respond to emergencies. Ready Business, launched in Sept. 2004, focuses on business preparedness.
How likely is your business to survive a catastrophic event? Do you know what you will do in the event of an emergency or a pandemic event, such as that which threatens us this year and next—the H1N1 virus (swine flu)? For instance, employers will find a swine flu readiness checklist helpful.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently reported that two in five employers do not have business continuity plans, should a pandemic strike. If you're one of those 40 percent looking for some peace of mind, consider developing a disaster recovery plan.
How about you? Are you prepared to answer the following questions?
- Do your employees know what to do in the event of an emergency?
- How would you handle business if your computer system crashed or failed?
- What would you do if your business lost all electrical power?
- Would you know what to do if your immediate geographical area suddenly becomes uninhabitable for an unknown period of time?
- What are you doing now to prepare for the H1N1 virus or other flu outbreaks?
- Does your facility contain combustibles, toxins or hazardous materials?
- What would be your communications strategy in a time of crisis?
No one wants to even think about it. One day your business is up, running and thriving. Then, one disastrous day, all that you’ve worked so hard to build can be brought down to its knees—especially, if you are unprepared.
The answers to the above, and many other business contingency questions, should be addressed in a disaster recovery or crisis management plan.
If there is ever a time for leaders to convey a sense of confidence, it’s during a crisis.
Not only that, employees will need a calm, steady and measured approach during times of crisis. And they need to know ahead of time how they are expected to respond.
Mary Lou Parrott, HRTools.com Insight author, describes how employers should communicate with employees before, during and after a time of crisis in, “Talk it Up Now: Develop Your Crisis Management Communication Plan.”
As they say, knowledge is power. A carefully developed disaster recovery plan, one that covers contingencies, is a powerful tool—particularly at a time when people may not be at their best. To be effective, however, your plan must be communicated to employees, in advance, as well.
So, in order to gain peace of mind and confidence, employers should have a disaster recovery plan ready, current and thoroughly thought through.
Where can you begin?
To help answer that question, here are a few major areas to consider as employers go about gathering disaster-preparedness information, aids and resources:
- Natural disasters: Any person who monitors the weather online or by cable TV knows that hurricane season is at its nerve-racking worst during the fall months (September and October). Then, you have your California wildfires blazing and spreading almost annually. Of course, a tornado can take down an entire town or neighborhood strip center within a few horrific minutes. Flash flooding can make it impossible and/or dangerous for employees to make it to work. OSHA has a Web site dedicated to providing businesses with resources and aids should a natural disaster hit your business or town.
- Man-made disasters: Not only do we face natural disasters, we also face man-made disasters. Unfortunately, domestic and international terrorist threats are always looming. It also seems as though we hear on an all-too-regular basis, that a co-worker or customer suddenly turns violent. Whatever the source or cause, a business must react when anyone or anything threatens the safety and welfare of others. Having a crisis management plan can make all the difference in whether or not you can competently respond and recover.
- Computer system crashes or power outages: As described in another HRTools.com Insight, U.S. small businesses are vulnerable to cyber attacks or other unforeseen system malfunctions. Many employers today operate their businesses by computers, so even one day of down time could pose very serious and costly operational problems. Take steps during those ‘up times,’ so you can prevent or minimize the fallout.
- Pandemic illnesses: Another sobering reality is the threat of a pandemic, such as what is feared by the H1N1 virus (swine flu). The World Health Organization provides a variety of online updates and resources, including this Global Alert and Response section. Of course, today, U.S. businesses, schools and communities are struggling with the threat of the H1N1 virus. Employers face an untold number of potential concerns: such as employee health and safety, employee travel restrictions, workplace shutdowns, employee absences, employee conferences, employee meetings, etc. Now is the time to start preparing—especially should a huge majority of your workforce call in sick for an extended period of time.
Want to learn more?
Preparing for a Disaster (Taxpayers and Businesses) published by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.