Fostering a Culture of Disaster Preparedness in the Workplace
Disasters can strike unexpectedly. Yet, more than 20% percent of small business owners don't have a disaster plan because they don't consider it a priority. Businesses' lack of emphasis on disaster preparedness emphasizes the need for a culture that prioritizes it from the top down.
Small Businesses are the heart of communities, fostering a sense of belonging among locals and attracting tourists to visit. Additionally, they play a crucial role in keeping money within the local economy and bolstering the neighborhoods they serve. The Federal Government, including FEMA and the Small Business Administration (SBA), thinks a lot about getting small businesses to prepare.
Fostering a disaster-ready culture requires a strategic approach involving ways to inform, train, and equip employees for a range of potential disasters or hazards. To develop and implement a Business Continuity Plan, start with these steps to encourage preparedness and safety: 1) Identify Risks, 2) Make a Disaster Plan, 3) Train Employees, 4) Conduct Regular Exercises, and 5) Reward Employee Preparedness. These actions help prevent harm, promote safety, and support the well-being of employees and their families.
1) Identify Risks: Identify potential disasters your office could face, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, forest fires, and earthquakes. Think beyond disasters to problems with a local electric grid, loss of communications or internet connectivity, or another pandemic. Visit FEMAs National Risk Index to understand the specific risks for your area.
2) Make a Disaster Plan: Creating a clear chain of command, communication protocols, and action procedures is essential to act quickly if a disaster hits. Create a record of employee phone numbers, work locations (in-office, remote, hybrid), and emergency contacts to enable supervisors to check on their well-being.
3) Train Employees: Employees should have access to training and educational materials on disaster preparedness. Send knowledge-check questionnaires to ensure employees are well-prepared to implement the disaster plan. Not sure where to start? The SBA has advice, tips, and training to get you started.
4) Conduct Regular Exercises: Organizing annual exercises like fire drills and first aid training keeps disaster preparedness fresh in people's minds.
5) Reward Employee Preparedness: Incentivizing employees actively encourages their engagement in disaster preparedness, benefiting both themselves and the organization. To encourage personal preparedness at Arc Aspicio, an annual bonus of up to $250 is available to employees to use for emergency preparedness tools and resources.
Workplaces can implement these steps to foster a culture of preparedness, equipping employees to respond promptly during a disaster. This proactive approach creates an environment where readiness and mobilization are ingrained in workplace culture and strengthens the overall resilience of the business.
