Many of my clients and I are located in Iowa and these past weeks Mother Nature has challenged us with tornados, heavy rains, high winds and flooding. These natural disasters posed challenges for business and individuals alike. Businesses were shut down, inaccessible or simply destroyed. Many of their employees were dealing with their own personal disasters and were unable to come into work if it was available.
It is too late to begin disaster planning after the storm has started. All you can do then is to hope you are good at flying by the seat of your pants and trust that your decisions are good.
If you have recently experienced a disaster now would be a good time to gather a group together to debrief the happenings of the past few days. Ask questions about your reactions to the event. Determine what went right and what could be improved. Brainstorm ideas about what could be done to make the whole situation easier should it happen again. Use this information to begin to prepare a comprehensive disaster plan.
Part of your disaster plan should be related to your Human Resources. What is the minimum amount of people you need to operate your core functions? What skills are needed by those employees to perform those operations, and who has those skills? Is training needed? Will employees be paid during time they are unable to come to work or the business is shut down? Will their absence reflect on their personal attendance record?
The preparation of a comprehensive disaster plan requires thought but does not have to be tom consuming. Many resources are available to assist businesses with the preparation of disaster plans. For more information or assistance in preparing a disaster plan contact Eric Branson and Associates.
