• Home
  • Our Services and Solutions
    • Total Rewards Consulting
    • Web-Based Talent Management with Flare®
    • Finders Keepers™ Employee Retention
    • Custom Total Compensation Surveys
  • Resource Library
    • Astronology® Blog
    • Subscribe to Astronology®!
    • Getting to Know Flare® Videos
    • Presentations
  • News & Events
    • Announcements
    • Astron Road Show
  • About Us
    • About Astron
    • Corporate Team
    • Testimonials
    • Our Clients
    • Speaking Opportunities
  • Contact

ASTRONOLOGY®

When Disaster Strikes: HR’s Role in Emergency Preparedness

June 12, 2018 by Cassandra Carver 3 Comments

Decorative Image - Exit SignHarvey, Irma, Sandy, & Katrina. All four names have been associated with hurricanes that have hit various areas of the United States in recent years. Other natural disasters, such as fire season in California, tornadoes in the Midwest, and the recent volcano eruptions in Hawaii and Guatemala, remind us that emergency preparedness is another area all organizations should have established. But what is HR’s role in this initiative?

Find out how Astron Solutions can help you refine and improve your compensation strategy.

HR plays a significant role in emergency preparedness. “The HR department is chiefly responsible for establishing and implementing employment policies and procedures. They are the main communicator with regard to employment policies and procedures with employees,” states Tracy Moon in the BLR webinar “Emergency Management at Work: How to Prepare for and Respond to a Crisis Situation.” Since the Human Resource Department is the go to department for everything human related in an organization, it is HR’s responsibility to communicate what should happen if an emergency occurs. Preparing, communicating with, and in some cases, training employees for such situations will not only help the organization stay afloat fiscally but also instill confidence in employees during a time when everything else seems to be falling apart.

Governing Magazine, in a January 31, 2018 online post, listed a few things to consider when developing an emergency plan:

  • Review and Readjust: If after a natural disaster (or even before) you notice some areas in your disaster preparedness plans need some adjustments, do not hesitate to change what isn’t working in your organization’s plan. Optimize for a better future.
  • Determine Your Risks: Identify the types of natural disasters that may impact your environment.
  • Assess Personnel Needs / Consider Staffing Contingencies: Determine the number of personnel you would need to assist during and after the emergency. Keep in mind some staff may not be able to travel into the area for some time…can you temporarily reassign other personnel in the case of an emergency? If so, has there been enough cross-training for the temporarily reassigned personnel to confidently complete their new duties? Can the work be done remotely? Do employees have access in the event that they must work remotely?
  • Ensure a Platform Exists for Internal Communications: In the event that regular communication is halted, what are the other means of establishing contact?
  • Identify Worksite Alternatives: Make sure potentially affected employees know where they can report to if their primary worksite is not available, and how to obtain information / updates.
  • Offer Employee Assistance: Identify opportunities, policies, and budget to offer employee assistance in case injury, death, or property damage is the result of a disaster event.

HR Exchange Network also noted the importance of knowing where employees are travelling for business. We should be prepared to give assistance if an employee encounters such an event during business travel. In some cases, we may need to cancel business trips in order to keep employees safe.

Whether the event happens at home or work, there is plenty that can be done to keep the employee and the organization safe from most unforeseen events. Does your organization have a plan set in case of an emergency? What are the steps? Feel free to share your thoughts in our comment box below!

    Share on facebook
    Facebook
    Share on twitter
    Twitter
    Share on linkedin
    Linkedin

    Filed Under: Communication, Employee Relations, General, Workplace Environment Tagged With: Emergency Preparedness, Human Resources, Office Safety

    Comments

    1. Leona says

      October 31, 2018 at 9:03 am

      Hi Cassandra, usually good/big companies are the ones equipped to have an HR that also gets info about the safety status of places where their employees will go. The less HR staff, the less possibility of them having the time to do this. But this is good practice that every business should do regardless of the company size.

      Reply
      • Cassandra Carver says

        October 31, 2018 at 2:28 pm

        Hello Leona,

        Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

        I agree, for smaller organizations it may not be entirely feasible to put all the tips suggested in this article to practice. It is a start however, to inspire organizations no matter the size to have something (within their means) in place in case the unthinkable happens.

        Reply
    2. Donna says

      November 7, 2018 at 12:57 pm

      In a smaller firm you can consider creating a safety team. Gather ees from various departments to review potential issues. The local fire and police will ideally assist as well as building security if in a large building. Just a thought.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Subscribe!

    Categories

    • Benefits
    • Communication
    • Compensation
      • Budget Planning
      • Compensation 101
      • Compensation 102
      • Compensation 103
      • Compensation 104
      • Compensation 105
      • Compensation 106
    • Employee Relations
      • Workplace Environment
    • Employee Retention
    • FLSA
    • General
    • HR Strategy
    • HR Technology
    • Incentive Pay Plans
    • Job Descriptions
    • Job Evaluation
    • Legal Compliance
    • Legislation
    • Merit Pay
    • New Year Projections
    • Performance Management
    • Recruitment
    • Retirement
    • Talent
    • Training
    • Uncategorized

    Recent Posts

    • Small Business Employee Management: 5 Tips for Success
    • Work/Life Balance in 2023
    • Three Ideas for Improving Your Organization’s Wellness Benefits in 2023

    Recent Comments

    • CLETUS OKOH on Employee Loyalty: The Secret Sauce and Tips Your Organization Needs
    • Luke Smith on Hiring a Compensation Consultant: 7 Steps for Nonprofits
    • Luke Smith on Executive Compensation: Taking Charge of Your Organization’s Approach

    Archives

    Back to Top
    Our Focus Is on YOU!

    Programs tailored to your needs. Software that’s highly customizable and modular.
    Compensation consulting services priced affordably and with no hidden costs.

    Want to learn more?

    Let's chat

    Astron Solutions
    505 8th Avenue
    Suite 2200
    New York, NY 10018

    Phone: 800.520.3889
    Fax: 212.792.8256




    • About Us
    • Consulting
    • Web Based Talent Management
    • Employee Retention
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy
    • Disclaimer
    • Website Design by Vertical Rail
    • ©2010-2023 Astron Solutions