Planning for Crisis, Emergencies and Disaster Recovery
Contingency planning and emergency preparedness are essential.
They are not “cheap insurance”, nor do they reflect unnecessary pessimism. Organizations that
practice contingency and emergency planning are more likely to survive a
crisis. Disaster planning increases the likelihood that organizations,
especially smaller organizations, survive a crisis.
A solid emergency plan is good business sense. Following a
disaster, the first organizations back on line are often well positioned
to create a lot of new business ...
You can arrange coaching and training in most aspects of emergency planning
with
Soulwork Systemic Coaching. This is especially relevant for smaller
organizations, who may risk more than larger organizations; yet are less
likely to invest the time, effort and resources for emergency preparedness.
Some basic questions for your organizations or businesses are:
- Which key people are needed for your organization to function?
- Which key resources are needed for your organization to survive?
- What could disrupt these people or resources?
- What plans do you already have in place?
Fire Plans are often legal requirements. An organization
sited on low ground or below a dam may also have a Flood Plan.
Some organizations have Tornado Plans or Hurricane Plans … and
possibly Bomb Alert Plans or Hijacking Plans.
Other types of crisis include events such as loss of
critical suppliers, bankruptcy or near-bankruptcy, or threats of hostile
takeover. Equally important, and often ignored, are plans for the
mental health of staff following a crisis. Is psychiatric or professional
psychological assistance needed - or is individual coaching adequate for
assisting staff to regain "balance"?
In a crisis, success depends as much on "people skills"
as on professional competence. Soulwork Systemic Coaching provides guidance and
objectivity needed for crisis environments. Poor "people skills" can
threaten careers, and even organizations. Soulwork coaching offers
opportunities to improve leadership and teamwork skills.
Emergency Planning provides unexpected benefits. Creating
and exercising contingency plans causes people to consider the critical
aspects of their organization, which may identify opportunities to
become more efficient.
Keys to Crisis Management
1. Big PictureMake a skeleton plan or a future walk
or a mind map, and start filling in the spaces. Consider what can go wrong:
fire, flood, tornado, disease, workplace violence, hurricane, bomb threats,
the loss of key employees, burglary, computer crashes and more.
2. Critical Situations
Identify which situations are most relevant to the organization, and
develop contingency plans for those situations first, with less detailed
plans for less likely events.
3. Team Members
Select a contingency planning team. Include people with many perspectives on
the company’s vulnerabilities. For example, include someone with detailed
knowledge of the building and any computer network. Include department
managers and a human resources representative.
4. Contact Staff
List all staff names, and alternate ways that people can
communicate with each other. Include home phone numbers, pager numbers,
non-work e-mail addresses, and mobile phone numbers. The more ways to contact
staff should disaster strike, the better. Keep the list updated.
Consider setting up a “phoneout tree” that can be activated in a crisis.
5. Designate Authority
Designate a single decision-maker and an alternate. Those persons must know the steps to
take in various crises, and how to reach staff and other essential contacts
(police specialists, fire department, clients, customers, etc). Inform staff who
will give directions during times of chaos.
6. Chain of command
Consider a clear chain of command and authority. Consider military chain of
command, or that of governmental succession; and how to apply that
for the organization. If key people are missing, who will make decisions?
7. Vulnerabilities
Do you work in an office with no alarm system? Might
layoffs occur sometime in the future? What if all telephones are disconnected?
What if a key supplier can’t move shipments? What if the intranet or
internet is "down"? Consider how each situation would affect
core activities, revenue streams, customer service and staff.
8. Alternative Workspace
Can employees work out of their homes? Will another company share their facilities until
space at a new location is rented and equipped? Get answers now, and be
prepared.
9. Backup Information
Most people back up computer data. Where are your important papers and files
– both print and electronic? Do you have recently backed data up - stored off site?
10. Backup Knowledge
In smaller organizations, assets may be largely vested in a key individuals.
Model the expertise and skills of those individuals and pass it on. Interview
the key people and create educational materials. Start coaching, training
or mentoring programs to share knowledge. Document and educate staff in that
essential knowledge. Email
us
to find a Systemic Coach skilled in Expert Modeling, who can model and
duplicate expert performance.
11. Define Essential Resources
What can keep the organization running in a crisis? If
part of an organization shuts down, where would revenue flow
come from? What people, equipment, space, supplies, or services
are needed to keep revenue flowing during a business disruption?
12. Experienced Consultant
As the contingency plan develops, hire a consultant familiar with
emergency preparedness who can help streamline
the plan and identify holes. A Systemic Coach can also write or edit
emergency manuals, present emergency preparedness training and liaise with
local authorities.
13. Educate Staff
Once a plan is in place, write manuals and educate staff. Arrange seminars
and visits by emergency workers, police and fire officials, etc.
Let staff know that crisis procedures will be tested at random times.
14. Exercise Contingencies
Simulate some scenarios. Shut down systems and monitor how staff react.
Perhaps call a director of one location and tell them to disconnect
from the computer network and to not answer the telephone. Other locations must
work as usual – without that location. Disconnect a main computer system,
check what people would do if there was a plague
scare, or simulate the loss of some key employees.
15. Stay current!
Disaster preparedness and emergency response training is
needed by all organizations, yet
is especially important in small organizations, where each employee
matters more to company survival. Create realistic plans, regularly
test crisis plans with drills and ensure that everyone in the
organization knows how to respond.
Systemic Coach Training welcomes friendly people who are motivated and
emotionally stable. Enhance your career with life coaching and relationship
coaching skills. Coach people to gain clarity, dissolve success and relationship
issues, and understand what makes sense in life. Help people build success
and quality relationships. You can help people fulfill their dreams.
Martyn Carruthers is a trained paramedic (Royal Navy) and served on nuclear
submarines during the Cold War. He was a health physics and
safety officer at nuclear power stations, and Radiation
Protection Officer for the Canadian government, where he worked with industry, Public Health
and Emergency Measures Organization (EMO). Martyn Carruthers founded
Soulwork Systemic Coaching, a complete system of effective coaching and mentorship.
© Martyn Carruthers 2002-2008 |
