Nobody likes to admit it, but every once in a while disaster strikes. This has become more of a reality in the previous 12 months with the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping through countries and businesses.
While there is little you can do about it when incidents like these occur, what you can do is to evaluate the safety of your employees, the people who keep your business up and running, and establish a simple yet effective crisis management plan – this is how:
#1 Formulate A Well Structured Crisis Plan
This plan must be comprehensive yet simple and easy to execute for all employees. Staff should not be overwhelmed with complicated protocols but rather have a clear indication of what to do in case of an emergency.
Different types of incidents could range from Severe weather or travel disruptions to terror attacks and chemical accidents depending on your industry. Safe rendezvous points, easily accessible emergency exits, as well as calculated strategies to assess and manage risks, are key points in a well-structured crisis plan.
#2 Nominate A Crisis Management Team
A well-trained and capable team of leaders will ensure the fluency of crisis management within a company and avoid a chaotic situation as a result of fear and panic. These leaders need to be equipped with the necessary information to execute the crisis plan in a well-organized manner without error.
#3 Utilize Access To Technology
Taking advantage of the latest technology in crisis management lessens the administrative aspect when evaluating an incident.
Now that almost everyone has a smartphone, making use of a Crisis Response App is one of the most effective ways of ensuring your employees are safe.
This is not limited to your business premises alone but can be used wherever the crisis may be, in or out of business hours.
By pinpointing the location of employees who are within the danger zone of the incident, management can assess and act upon the feedback given by the staff members who deemed themselves to be in danger. Emergency services can also be dispatched on request.
#4 Communication Is Key
Before making harsh and irrational decisions, establish a clear line of communication with your employees. Inform yourself of the most important aspects of the situation: Current status of staff members, damages, and plan of action.
Ensure the communication with your crisis management team is abundantly clear to eradicate any orders that could’ve gotten lost in translation.
At the end of the day, most business owners understand that a successful company doesn’t just stem from ordinary individuals, it takes the right people to build a profitable business. So when you have the best team for the task, protect them as they are not always easy to come by.
As Steve Jobs once said: “Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team”. Be a memorable leader and build a team of individuals always ready to have each other’s backs in times of crisis.
