Prepare Now for a Natural Disaster

Source: The Manager’s Intelligence Report

The crazy weather and seismic activity of the last few months (and years) have spurred fresh interest in disaster preparation, especially at the workplace. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and extreme weather can strike pretty much anywhere, or so it seems, so take these steps to ensure your employees’ safety:

• Plan for the worst. You don’t want to decide what to do as the roof is falling in on your employees. Invest some time in disaster planning: evacuation procedures, communication, safeguarding vital data, and so forth.
• Protect your data. Though people are your first priority, your organization won’t survive the disaster if all your files are buried or underwater. Identify the information your organization depends on, back it up securely, and check it frequently to be sure it’s accessible and up to date.
• Get employees involved. Your employees know how your organization works at the ground level, so don’t ignore their knowledge and expertise. Include them in planning for evacuations and safeguarding data—both so you don’t miss anything crucial, and to show that you take their safety seriously.
• Test your preparations. Conduct a drill every now and then to ensure that your employees know how to react when an emergency strikes, and what gaps in your plan you need to address. Try having a department work remotely for a week to see how they handle the challenge of keeping the organization up and running when your office is inaccessible. The best time to fix problems in your plan is before you really need it to work.