10/ 03/ 2006
As a small-business owner, you probably always consider your employees when making plans for your business. You think about questions, such as what to pay, what to charge for services, which health-care plan is best and should we grow? But if a disaster should occur––whether in the form of fire, tornado, chemical accident or dozens of other emergencies––how would you get in touch with your employees, and would they know what to do?
Ready.gov, a Web site from the Department of Homeland Security, offers several suggestions for getting employees involved in every step of disaster preparedness––from initial planning to business recovery.
Ready.gov suggests that all business owners:
- Involve employees. Encourage employees to provide input and assist in all levels of planning for emergencies. The more employees hear about emergency plans and know what to do, the more efficient and prepared they will feel and react.
If you have employees with special needs, talk to them, involve them in planning and get their suggestions on the best way to help with their specific circumstances.
- Publish and practice the plans you have in place. It's great to have the information in your head if any adverse event should occur, but would employees know where to find a copy of your plans? Use staff meetings, employee newsletters, intranets and break room bulletin boards to post your emergency plans. Rotate that information so that it doesn't become stale. For example: During what is considered tornado season in your part of the country, remind employees to review those specific plans and move that information to the top of the list. Then once a quarter, practice!
If you rent, lease or share space with other businesses, communicate, share and coordinate evacuation procedures and other emergency plans with those around you. Perhaps even the building owner/management company will handle that coordination for you and the businesses around you. And again, practice with regularly scheduled drills.
- Facilitate communication. What if a fire occurs on a Saturday evening when no one is in the building, how would you let employees know? Consider setting up a telephone call tree. Don't require one employee to get in touch with all others. A call tree involves all employees equally. In case of such drastic natural disasters as hurricanes, when residents evacuate your city in all directions, you might consider setting up an out-of-town number where employees can check in. For instance, if you live in and run a business in Mississippi, and your brother lives in Missouri, have employees contact your brother in Missouri to let you know they are okay and out of harm's way.
Once or twice a year, make sure the emergency contact information for all of your employees is updated. Keep a copy in a safe, off-site location such as your home or bank.
You don't have to weather the storm of preparing for emergencies alone. Involve employees and get their input and assistance every step of the way. The more prepared you all are, the better off your business––and your employees––will be.
