Facility and Risk Management Tips presented by www.solidrockfacilitymanagers.com
Employee Safety & Business Continuity During Emergencies Part 1 (One)
The ability to quickly identify potential and active threats around facilities and execute an emergency response plan can be a major competitive advantage in today’s evolving business landscape.
Organizations today face an increasing number of threats that can massively impact both employee safety and business operations. From severe weather, active shooters, economic instability, civil unrest, and global uncertainty topped the list of the most impactful threats to businesses in 2022, and each of these continues to present a significant risk to organizations large and small in the first weeks of 2023.
While the labor market is strong (for now), employees are experiencing crisis fatigue, and employee engagement has fallen to levels that haven’t been seen in a decade. Employees’ growing anxiety about the future, coupled with an ever-evolving threat landscape not only impacts employees’ ability to remain engaged and productive at work but also creates increased risks to an organization’s operational stability.
In order to ensure employee safety and minimize loss in 2023 — including time, money, equipment, and other assets — facility managers need robust emergency preparedness plans as well as modern solutions to ensure they can respond quickly and effectively to a multitude of crises. However, overhauling or even fine-tuning emergency preparedness and response plans can feel daunting.
At Solid Rock, we have made it simple and broken it down . Here’s where to start.
EVALUATING EMPLOYEE SAFETY
In a 2022 study on the state of employee safety, 97% of employees reported that feeling safe at work is essential, and engaged employees have been shown to be 70% less likely to experience safety incidents, according to Gallup survey. However, research from Grammarly and the Harris Poll shows that poor communication negatively impacts employee engagement. Good communication is vital to a healthy workforce in general, and it’s especially important during an emergency. When employees are more engaged and feel prepared, they’re more likely to be able to perform critical duties and follow instructions when disaster strikes.
Research shows that employees strongly desire information and direction from their employers during emergencies, and effective communication is key to the successful execution of an emergency preparedness plan.
WHEN IT COMES TO EMPLOYEE SAFETY, TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIVES SAVED AND LIVES LOST.
Effective communication starts with the ability to quickly identify threats and verify information, and then disburse notifications to the right people, through the right channel, and at the right time. Modern emergency communication systems allow crisis management teams to do just that with location-based safety alerts. Utilizing GPS, map views, and geofencing capabilities, emergency communication system tools help organizations accurately identify and communicate only with those most impacted during a crisis. This also prevents notification fatigue as facility managers and employees know they won’t be contacted if an emergency doesn’t pertain to them or their respective location.
When it comes to employee safety, two-way communication can be the difference between lives saved and lives lost. It’s important for emergency communication systems to have features like read receipts, which confirm all employees at affected facilities have received time-sensitive alerts. Wellness check surveys, in which employees can quickly respond with the number or option that represents their current state, are another way for emergency response teams to confirm employee safety and facility operations.
To be continued……………………………
At Solid Rock, we are behind your business success
