Business Preparedness- Don't Become A Statistic

Aeneas Internet and Telephone

In 2003 Aeneas Internet and Telephone of Jackson, Tennessee saw their office building destroyed by an F4 tornado. The photos above show what was left of their home office. They suffered $1 million loss in hardware and software that day. Most businesses would not have survived such devastation. Not only did Aeneas survive, but within 72 hours of the catastrophic tornado, Aeneas was operating and fully serving their clients again! Their building may have been destroyed, but their business was not, because they had a plan.

Nearly 40% of businesses do not survive a disaster or emergency. That's an alarming number, but one we can change! Having and utilizing a business disaster plan protects your investment, your workforce, the community you service and your local economy! So why not take a few simple steps to prepare!

Business preparedness, like many things is something we could go on forever about, but for the sake of our blog readers, we'll try to just cover the basics today! A great place to start when diving into the world of business preparedness is the creation of a planning team! Be sure to include workers from all levels of your organization, especially those that conduct tasks that are vital to daily operations. Once you have formed your team, it is time for a brief risk assessment. Your team will need to research what types of threats exist in your area. These risks can be both natural and man made. Once you have determined your risks, brainstorm on how they may impact your organization.

Now that you have determined the risks, it's time for a conversation on continuity planning. What is continuity planning? Simply put, its a plan that lays out how your organization will continue to operate and provide goods and services to your customers during and after a disaster has affected you. So what do you need to consider when looking at continuity planning?

- Determine which staff, materials, equipment and facilities are essential to your operations. While we may be quick to think everything is essential, there are items and staff that you may be able to function without for a short period.

- Make plans for emergency payroll, expedition of financial decisions and purchases.

- Create a succession of management plan as some of your workforce may be impacted by the disaster in such a manner that they cannot report to work.

- Maintain copies of important documents and records and store them at an alternate location in case your primaries are destroyed.

- Maintain a list of important customers and discuss ways to continue to serve them in the event of a disaster.

- ID key suppliers, shippers, and other resources you interact with. Develop relationships within several of these areas in case your normal supplier cannot service you needs.

If you've gotten this far in a business plan, you're doing great, but there are a few more things to consider. A business plan is no good if the staff doesn't know what the plan is when disaster strikes. Regular training sessions on your plan is crucial to it's success. Plans are evolving documents that may change frequently as staff, technology and threats change, making frequent training a necessity to keep them up to date. As part of your disaster plan training, also consider taking a day to cross train employees on other essential task. This creates a level of redundancy and ensures there will always be someone available and knowledgeable enough to keep your business running! Also consider offering first aid and CPR training for employees as these are skills that can save lives everyday or during a disaster!

Though most of us hate to admit it, we probably spend as much, if not more time at work that we do at home! So the likelihood of a disaster occurring while you're at work is pretty good. That being said, you could be stranded at your workplace for days, which is why you should keep an emergency supply kit on hand for your staff. Consider stockpiling items such as flashlights, a NOAA weather radio, non-perishable foods, water, blankets and a first aid kit. Encourage employees to keep a personal needs kit at work which may contain necessary medications, sanitary items and cash.

How will you communicate with employees during a disaster? A disaster communications plan will address how you will communicate with employees and customers during and after a disaster. When communicating with your workforce figure out how you will keep them informed of closures, relocation or safety information. Should they expect an email, a phone call or a text? Who is making contact to the employees? These are all important things to discuss. It is important to stay in touch with your clients before, during and after a disaster too! Before a disaster, make sure your clients know your committed to serving them and have a plan in place that will allow you to serve them through a disaster or within a short period after. During and after a disaster, keep your customer base up to date on the status of your organization and it's services. If you are shut down temporarily let them know how your recovery efforts are going and when you return to business.

We're almost done rambling about business preparedness, we promise! The final point we want to discuss is just that, open discussions and coordination with other organizations! Talk to other businesses in your area or businesses similar to yours to see what type of plans they have in place. Talk to your local emergency management agency, fire department, EMS department and police department to see what types of tips they can offer you. It's also a good idea to inform them of your plan! The final group we suggest you have some very open and honest discussions with is your insurance provide. Discuss your coverage, options to increase coverage and what steps you should take before and after a disaster.

There you have it! A quick snapshot of business preparedness! Want to learn more? Cumberland County DPS offers FREE programs to businesses and organizations on business preparedness! If you are interested in hosting a program contact Megan with DPS at mmoriarty@ccpa.net or 717.218.2913.

(Photos from www.ready.gov)