When it comes to emergency preparedness, for leaders, so much can feel outside of an organization’s control. Weather can change in an instant, critical systems can fail when they’re needed the most, and complications that could never have been predicted may slow down recovery. That said, employees’ readiness for situations that can impact their safety and critical business operations shouldn’t be one of those things left to chance.
During an emergency, employees can be an organization’s best asset to help keep everyone safe – or one of its biggest liabilities. Team members who don’t know how to maintain general workplace safety or haven’t been trained to handle emergencies pose a danger to themselves and others and can slow down the response and recovery process. Conversely, a favorable outcome is far more likely when all employees know their roles and what to expect during a crisis. That’s why it needs to be a top priority to train employees to stay safe, no matter the situation.
Employees Are on the Side of Safety
Increasing training and safety efforts might seem like they would be a drag for employees, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. A recent report showed that employees deeply care about safety in the workplace. In fact, 89% of working Americans say workplace safety is more important than ever before, and one in three desires more safety training.
Employees understand that safety and training efforts are as much to protect them as they are to protect the business. And with 83% of U.S. employees saying they have experienced at least one critical incident while working, employees likely understand exactly what is at stake during an emergency. By communicating clearly about what is being done to increase safety and why, employers will greatly increase employee buy-in for any changes to their day-to-day work life.
It’s critical to get buy-in from all employees, as they likely far outnumber safety professionals. The best way to set a business up for success during a disaster is to turn every employee into a safety leader. This will enable them to go beyond simply experiencing a disaster to helping mitigate damages. Here’s what that might look like.
How to Train Employees
There are a lot of different ways organizations can train employees. However, it’s imperative they choose options that best fit particular teams and risk levels. Here are a few ideas:
- Survey employees on their top safety concerns.
- Get up-to-date contact information from everyone.
- Hold meetings explaining current and future business resilience efforts.
- Run drills for common or high-stakes events like phishing scams or fires.
- Set guidelines and expectations for communication during emergencies.
- Set safety incentives or reward behavior that boosts business resilience.
While each of these will help build a more resilient business, the two items (below) will set a solid foundation that all other efforts can build on.
Situational intelligence training
Situational intelligence is a person or organization’s ability to anticipate and react to any given problem. It encompasses situational awareness but also includes the knowledge of how to respond to a particular situation.
Teaching employees how to detect, understand, and act during an emergency means employers can trust employees to act in the best interest of everyone’s safety – no matter what is happening. Situational intelligence training can be done by reviewing previous experiences and running drills or tabletop exercises to practice and hone these skills.
Safety training
Safety training is proven to increase employee preparedness for emergencies. Employees who were offered safety training are more than 25% more likely to say they know what to do during an emergency at work. This means they are less likely to hesitate during time-sensitive situations like evacuations or active shooter scenarios.
Employers should provide regular and mandatory training for all employees to ensure that safety protocols stay top of mind. What to train for (fire, tornado, hurricane, workplace violence, etc.) may change based on risk assessments, and employers should update training materials when there are changes to protocol or procedure to ensure there is no confusion during a crisis.
Final Thoughts
While all employees may not have the same expertise as safety teams or understand the scope of an emergency’s impact like a business continuity team, many could be on the ground when disaster strikes. With proper training and preparedness, employees can serve as the eyes and ears for safety teams and any first responders on site. When employees know what to look out for, how to act, and who to contact, employees – and the organization as a whole – will be safer and more resilient to any disruptions.
