Erin Douglass (writer)

Workplace Crises: Responses and Preparation

By Erin Douglass

In the aftermath of the attacks on New York City and Washington DC, our country struggles to find its footing and step into the routines of daily life once again.

Workplaces are no different. Whether they lost employees, the roofs over their heads or their senses of security, many businesses are finding Getting Back to Business tougher than expected. And perhaps no workers feel this more acutely than those in HR.

While communication continues to play a critical role in how workers deal with the tragedy, there are also a number of policies businesses can enact to be as emergencywise as possible.

Acting in the Aftermath

Hours and days following a crisis are Make It or Break It times for managers. According to Sharon Jordan-Evans, a workplace consultant and co-author of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay (Berrett-Koehler: 1999), those managers who have responded successfully "are leading with their hearts, not with their heads."

"People want to see that you're not afraid to show that you've been affected by this," says Jordan-Evans. "They also want to see that you can carry on in spite of the pain."

The best plan for leading in these difficult times: listening. "What employees need from the boss is support," says Jordan-Evans. "Ask them how they are doing. Allow them to grieve. Even allow for a productivity slump. But," she adds, "don't try to fix it. You wouldn't go to a funeral and give a pep talk."

Ann Humphries, CPCM and president of etiquette consulting firm Eticon in Columbia, South Carolina, recommends a number of additional Shoulds and Should Nots for workplaces coping with the national tragedy. They also emphasize ways to treat co-workers with more sensitivity and compassion.

Preparing to Prevent

Many workplaces, regardless of location, have found that their greatest loss in the wake of the attacks has been their sense of safety. Experts talk of employees at large companies feeling frightened by co-workers they don't recognize. Others are asking to work at home or modify their schedules. "All of a sudden, people's insecurities start to surface," says Sacramento, California-based hostage negotiator and workplace violence expert Larry Chavez.

For HR, this means it's time to re-evaluate policies and procedures concerning workplace violence. Says Chavez: "You need to make sure employees can say 'I could leave this building safely or retreat to a safe place within the building. And then I could report to loved ones that I am OK.'"

Take these steps to help create an emergency savvy workplace.

Explain evacuations. Be sure to create—or review and update—your evacuation plan and run through it with employees. "Don't make it easy," says Chavez. "Assume it's pitch dark and employees can't see." Urge employees to get in the habit of carrying a source of light—a mini flashlight or a keyring with an LED—and a form of communication, such as a cellphone or pager. "In this day and age, a cellphone is not a luxury item," says Chavez, "it's an insurance policy." Not only do cellphones make contact with loved ones or emergency personnel possible from just about anywhere, they increase the odds of being located, since calls can be tracked.

Secure a safe spot. Because it's not always possible for employees to evacuate a building during an emergency, Chavez recommends that companies create a safe place within the workplace to which employees can retreat. Wise choices are corner rooms with strong, lockable doors. Also consider creating areas in which a perpetrator could be trapped, such as stairwells with oneway locking doors that prevent access back into the building.

Prepare a rollcall. Don't assume that just because employees have gotten to a safe place that your job is done. Says Chavez: "Each employer needs to have rollcall, just like in elementary school." This headcount needs to include any temporary employees, contractors and vendors who are working in the building.

Fortify the building. While you may not have the power to suggest structural changes to a vulnerable building, you can institute policies and make recommendations that will lead to safer working conditions. Consider instituting badges for all employees and guests. These will enable you and others within the company to quickly look down halls or around offices and see whether everyone belongs on the premises. Keep secondary doors locked at all times from the outside; make changes to floor plans and office arrangements so that employees' backs aren't facing doorways.

But, warns Chavez, efforts to secure the building aren't foolproof. "Don't let badges or other policies lull you into a false sense of security. Attacks often come from within," he says. This means it's essential to keep an eye out for warning signs of violent behavior—and make maintaining a safe workplace a priority.

10 Steps to Healthy Organizations

Safe, healthy workplaces don't happen by accident. According to Chavez, companies that follow the 10 practical steps below are poised to ward off violence and protect employees.

  1. Place a high value on human dignity and emphasize, by example, respect for all people without regard to rank or position.
  2. Initiate a zero tolerance policy for all acts or threats of violence.
  3. Promote prevention of violence through formal training.
  4. Establish procedures for the timely reporting of violent acts or threats.
  5. Thoroughly investigate and document all violent acts and take immediate and appropriate action.
  6. Establish a representative team for assessing threats and making recommendations for future violence prevention efforts.
  7. Employ smart hiring practices as the first line of defense against internal violence.
  8. Offer and provide professional assistance to employees in need of counseling or psychological support.
  9. Attain the highest practical level of physical security.
  10. Constantly evaluate you violence prevention efforts, keeping what works and skipping what doesn't.

< more in work