Once again, it’s hurricane season: Nine tips to be prepared

As Hurricane Elsa recently headed toward Florida, people began to stock up on water, batteries, gas, and canned food. Although you should be prepared and plan ahead for your home and family, as an HR professional, it’s equally important to make sure your business is safeguarded and appropriate procedures are in place before a hurricane or other disaster hits.

9 tips for hurricane preparedness

If you still have employees working from home because of the pandemic, check out our suggestions from last year (see “Preparing for a hurricane amid pandemic” in our July 2020 newsletter), which included tips to consider if you have remote employees. Here are some additional ideas for 2021:

First, update the home address, home telephone and cell phone numbers, and personal e-mail address for each employee. You may need to use cell phones, texting, and personal e-mail to communicate with them after a storm if your office equipment isn’t functioning. Consider having an analog telephone on hand and landline available because digital and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephone systems won’t work if the power is out.

Second, designate an emergency response team. Then, provide a list of employees for whom each team member is designated to contact after the storm has passed.

Third, provide information on the company’s voicemail system and website so employees can check the status of business operations and receive updates.