Preparing for the Unexpected: Supporting Your Employees

It’s been weeks since the U.S. saw back-to-back hurricanes that impacted many families and businesses. Though no longer as much in the news, the recovery continues. Most companies have disaster preparedness plans in place to protect data and to make sure the business can continue to function through a crisis and recovery. However, employees are often unaware of what they should have in place for themselves and their loved ones. Helping them have a plan should be part of the company’s overall disaster recovery and preparedness planning process.  

Let’s start with those employees tasked with carrying out a disaster recovery plan. If they or their family members are at risk, their ability to focus on executing the company’s plan can be compromised. Part of your plan should be to ensure these employees have support. They may have family members, or an aging loved one, that might be impacted. They may be on medications themselves and unable to get them in a disaster. They may have a pet that would need to be taken care of. These critical employees during a crisis need to be able to stay engaged, productive, and focused.

For the employees tasked with carrying out your disaster recovery plan, take the time to understand their personal needs. If an employee would potentially be on-site or in a location away from family and loved ones for several days, find out what they would need and their biggest concerns. Knowing there is a plan to support them and their loved ones can make executing your disaster recovery plan more successful. Some potential ideas to provide support:

• Access to a place to sleep, food, and storage of medications and a change of clothes, if they would need to be at an on-site location for an extended period.
• A point person for this team to handle personal questions and provide assistance.
• Make sure that the EAP information and contact numbers are highlighted throughout the event to address mental stress.
• Review the disaster preparedness and recovery plan to see what flexible work arrangements can be outlined. Some key people may need a backup if their own families are impacted.

For the rest of your workforce, they should also have access to educational information to help them be more prepared. This initiative should include a short document with the five to seven questions they should ask themselves to be better protected. The questions should be practical, including: 

• Do you have fireproof and waterproof options for all critical documents (will, passport, insurance information, etc.) or electronic copies stored in a secure platform?
• If you or a family member is taking regular medications, is there a plan to get these before a disaster or do you always have enough for two to three weeks, if you couldn’t get them at your pharmacy? 
• Do you have flood and fire insurance for your home or renter’s insurance?
• If you are caring for an older adult, where would they go if they had to be evacuated?
• If you have pets, how would you care for them if you were not able to be in your home?
• Do you have both medical and financial power of attorney documents, in case someone would need to make decisions for you or a loved one?

Going through a weather disaster, a fire, or any other major disaster takes a big emotional toll on those impacted. Discuss with your EAP provider if they have a crisis mental health expert who could be available for your employees. A generalist at the EAP may provide some help, but usually, they aren’t specifically trained or have the experience to provide counseling around crises and trauma related to a major disaster. You can also compile a list of local and state resources that can be accessed and make that available to all employees. Having a list of resources in advance can help reduce the stress on your employees during a crisis. It also makes it easier for HR when an unexpected crisis or disaster happens. 

Making sure that your disaster recovery plan is supporting those executing that plan and a more focused approach to supporting your workforce can make your team more resilient through any unexpected challenge.  Businesses will continue to be impacted by unexpected weather events and other crises. The more prepared you and your team are, the more likely the company is to recover quickly.