No company is immune to disaster, and so companies should always be preparing for them, and their short and long term effects. To that matter, Catherine Maxey, writing for OH&S Online, offers a set of five steps for your company to consider when planning crisis drills, to ensure your company will be able to rapidly address the emergency, get back up and running, and learn from the experience:
- Plan Ahead – define different levels of crisis, and make sure employees are aware of what each means, ideally through readily accessible hard copies. Keep plans are up to date, and ensure everyone knows their roles, so that no one is unprepared when the crisis drill starts
- Assume the Worst – when running crisis drills, offer scenarios that involve all departments, and which allow for rapid escalation and change. Consider not just the local involvement, but the wider potential effects.
- Be Realistic – add details, so as to keep aware and involved. Think about how the drill would be perceived outside the company were the crisis actually occurring, and encourage teams to react to media reports and press releases.
- Enlist Your Leadership – keep upper levels of management involved, so as to both make them aware of the importance of drills, and make employees aware that management takes such drills seriously
- Evaluate Your Performance – on completion of the drill, take the time to study the good and bad of the response, and incorporate the findings in future planning and tests
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