his article is not intended to tell business managers what they must do when a catastrophe strikes - the required tasks will vary from firm to firm. But this article is intended as a reminder that you have to do something - and you'd better so it before disaster arises.
Although most businesses will never have to face an event of the magnitude of a Hurricane Sandy, there is always the possibility of a misfortune occuring that will prevent your employees from coming to work and performing their regularly-assigned duties. Fires, police actions and power outages can occur anywhere and at any time. (Not to mention tornadoes, earthquakes and floods.)
The first question to address is, should your employees come to work at all? Maybe the risk of injury is too great to have employees trying to navigate the premises.
The next question is, if they can't come to work, what communications plans are available? How will you tell your employees not to come to work? Do you have an employee page on your web site where you can post such information? Are employee telephone numbers stored off-site for access when you cannot enter the office? Who will contact the employees? Will they be able to contact their direct supervisor?
Another important issue to address ahead of time is, if employees don't show up for work, are they going to be paid? Just as important, if they show up for work and the facilities are unfit for work, will they be paid?
If you expect someone to show up for work and they don't, will they have to take some sort of leave in order to be compensated during their absence? Under what circumstances will they be terminated for failing to return to work? (At least 45 officers and six civilian employees were fired by the New Orleans Police Department for abandoning their posts following Hurricane Katrina.)
The answers to these questions may be unique to your industry and the nature of your employees' work. Obviously, someone who works online is not in the same situation as an assembly line worker whose factory has burned down. (Assuming, of course, that the internet worker has the internet available.)
As I have said many times before about other matters, you need to address these issues in your employee handbook before the stuff hits the fan. You need to outline:
How to contact the company if conventional lines of communication are crippled?
Who do you expect to make the greatest effort to come into the office - perhaps a manager who needs to inspect the damage, security personnel who need to protect the facilities?
Who do you need to contact in case of an emergency- your insurance agent, your security personnel, your landlord?
How will you handle compensation for absent non-exempt (hourly) employees?
Are you prepared for the special issues pertaining to telecommuting - online security, sharing of data, access to client contact information?
How safe are your company assets if no one shows up at the office?
These are just a few of the many questions that you must address before the next "Sandy" strikes.
Disclaimer:
This site was established to provide information about the law, designed to educate users about issues in which they may have an interest. But legal information is not the same as legal advice -- the application of law to an individual's specific circumstances. Although I go to great lengths to make sure the information provided is accurate and useful, I recommend you consult a lawyer if you want professional assurance that the information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.
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