Climate change is an issue that affects every country in the world. Even the United States, arguably the most powerful nation in the world, has had its share of damaging storms. Most recently, Christmastime storms and tornadoes killed more than 40 people in southern and central US states.
For businesses, inclement weather can also mean disruptions in their operations. The Red Cross says that four out of 10 small businesses never reopen after being shut down after a major natural disaster. This startling statistic underlines the need for an emergency preparedness plan in any company, whether it’s a big multi-national firm or a small local business.
If you’re a business owner or one of the key officials of a company, here are some ways to make your firm more prepared for emergencies:
1. Invest in emergency alerts system
For most businesses, it is very important to have a communications strategy in the event of a natural disaster. How will employees be contacted during inclement weather? How will the personnel know that it is unsafe to go to work due to a coming storm? These are some of the questions that can be answered with an emergency alerts system in place.
That said, investing in the right technology can spare business owners and leaders from a lot of headaches down the road. Businesses can install emergency alerts software that can allow them to contact employees and alert them of upcoming storms or hurricanes headed to the area where thy workers are located. Emergency alerts system can send weather advisories to laptops, computers, and cell phones of employees, ensuring that everyone in the organization will be updated of any weather disturbance.
2. Tap cloud-based storage
Company data is also an integral part of a business operation, something that management would want to safeguard during an emergency. Investing in cloud-based storage system would allow a company to access important data no matter what happens at its head office.
In an annual Disaster Preparedness Benchmark Survey, it was revealed that one in five companies have lost critical applications for a few days. Loss of data is something firms big or small can’t risk, as it could mean profit and reputational loss.
It is important to find the appropriate cloud storage solution for your business. Fortunately, there are lots of options that you will likely find one that can address the needs of your business.
3. Create a disaster preparedness plan
Prior to the creation of a disaster preparedness business plan, a business continuity assessment should be made first. This assessment particularly identifies innate business weaknesses and vulnerability. Once areas of weaknesses and vulnerability are identified it becomes easier to create a disaster preparedness plan.
In creating the disaster preparedness plan, the areas critical to day-to-day business operations should be identified. Then, detailed procedures on how processes will be managed during an emergency will be established to ensure that a business will continue.
4. Share the plan with the rest of the organization
No matter how well-thought of the disaster preparedness plan is, it will be useless if it is not shared with the rest of the staff. The employees should know that the company has its disaster preparedness plan, and how to implement the plan in case of an emergency.
Most firms even test their disaster preparedness plan every quarter to ensure that the entire organization is aware of the plan. This will keep the employees more aware of what to do during an emergency, and train new staff on emergency preparedness.
Follow these four steps and your company should be better prepared for emergencies.
