Have you considered creating an emergency preparedness plan for your business?
Perhaps you created an emergency preparedness plan for yourself and your family, but have yet to make similar arrangements for your business.
Preparedness is a life-saver. Today’s unpredictable weather and environmental conditions should be a concern for all entrepreneurs, no matter the size or scope of their business.
An emergency plan is not only practical but can also provide peace of mind.
Simply knowing there is a plan in place for your business may help reduce stress before and during challenging situations.
In this post, you’ll find pointers to help prepare yourself for the planning process so it goes smoothly.
Key Takeaways
- An emergency preparedness plan is a set of tailored instructions for use during disasters or times of crisis
- Having a plan allows you to take targeted action, quickly delegate tasks, and communicate effectively
- Allocate quiet, focused time for planning, and break sessions into stages for necessary reflection and updates
Table of Contents
What’s an emergency preparedness plan?
An emergency preparedness plan is a set of detailed written instructions to be used in an emergency setting.
You’ll follow these plans in case of a natural disaster, environment catastrophe, or other challenging global scenario.
You can think of it as a custom-designed guidebook that’s unique to your business during times of crisis.
It lays out the specific steps you and everyone else in your business should take should an emergency situation arise.
While a plan typically covers the business as a whole, it incorporates key aspects related to your business such as your staff, clients and customers, infrastructure, and more.
Why should you create an emergency preparedness plan?
Emergency preparedness planning should be viewed an exercise that prepares both you and your business for the future.
That being said, creating a plan offers several helpful benefits relevant to your work.
Some benefits of having an emergency preparedness plan include:
- Better understanding of your business’ operations and structures
- Ability to quickly delegate responsibilities, assignments, and tasks to staff as needed
- Customized guidance for your business’ unique challenges and concerns
- Having a reference you can review and update at a moment’s notice
- Peace of mind knowing you have a plan in place for emergencies
Another benefit is that you’ll be able to view your business in a way you’ve not quite viewed it before.
Obviously, you’re readily focused on the day-to-day operations in your business every single day of the work week.
But when’s the last time you took a giant step back to really understand the impact of your business?
It plays a huge role in your professional and personal life, as well as the lives of your staff, employees, contractors, clients, customers, and vendors.
Your business is important. It’s filled with your hard work, dreams, goals, and desires.
Taking a bird’s eye view of your accomplishments and future goals may help lock in the importance of protecting this very special treasure that you hold in your hands.
What should you include in your emergency preparedness plan?
An emergency preparedness plan should include a solid framework for you to follow.
You can divide the framework into smaller steps that makes it easier for you to understand and access in times of need.
For instance, we can break this framework into steps of preparation, management, and recovery.
Let’s take a look at these items one by one.
Preparation
Preparation is everything you’ll need to do in advance of an emergency situation.
Sometimes you may have lengthy amounts of time in order to prepare your business for an upcoming emergency, while other times you may not.
That’s why you should consider adding various preparation protocols for your plans, such as ones that reference different weeks, days, and hours.
Management
Management relates to how you’ll manage your business during an emergency situation.
You can think of this as how you’ll navigate the existing and upcoming challenges faced by you and your business.
This may include the specific steps you’ll take to monitor the situation, how you communicate with others, and make decisions as the emergency progresses.
Recovery
This last step includes the steps you’ll take when the emergency has ended.
You’re likely to have specific issues that will be needed to be addressed, be it assessing damages, cleaning physical spaces, repairing equipment, or simply getting the business back up and running.
So what can you include in your plan?
You may want to make arrangements and considerations for items such as the following:
- Streamlined method of communication with others such as staff, clients, and customers
- Alternative or temporary work arrangements for staff, contractors, and vendors
- Conducting evaluations or inventories or materials, services, and goods
- Assessing physical structures such as offices, warehouses, and production areas
- Developing recovery checklists for different members of your staff or team
While this is not an exhaustive list of items to include in your emergency preparedness plan, it should serve as a starting point for your planning.
If you happen to live in the United States, check out the United States Small Business Administration’s guide for tips on how to prepare for emergencies.
Live in a different country? Check your country’s or municipality’s websites for tips on how to prepare for emergencies in your local area.
How to prepare yourself for the emergency preparedness plan planning process
Now that you know more about an emergency preparedness plan, it’s time to prepare your mind for the planning process.
Planning is an activity that requires sufficient time, energy, and resources.
When you’re dealing with potentially serious circumstances when it comes to your business, you want to make sure you’re approaching the process from a place of calm, focus, and order.
Here’s a simple four-step method to help prepare yourself for the planning process so it goes smoothly.
Invest time into planning
An emergency plan isn’t something that should be taken lightly.
Remember, this well-thought-out plan is something you and your business are going to turn to should an emergency occur.
Carve out quiet, uninterrupted, and unhurried time in your schedule to think critically about preliminary emergency plans.
You can do this either in your office, conference room, home office, or anywhere where you’re less likely to be disturbed.
While you’re at it, you may want to break up your sessions into different types, such as brainstorming, researching, and planning.
With so many different moving pieces, it can be helpful to break up sessions so you get some distance from the task at hand.
Develop your plan with care
Once you’ve got a basic plan in hand, it’s a good idea to schedule a series of plan creation meetings for yourself and your team over the next several weeks and months.
This will provide you with the time and space you need to sufficiently draft, review, discuss, and update plans as necessary.
It will also allow others to voice their concerns, questions, thoughts, and suggestions.
You can additionally use this time to seek professional counsel on your plan given your business’s unique needs.
As you make arrangements for your business, take some time to review your personal and family emergency plan.
You’ll have a better understanding of the two plans and how each may influence or affect one another. Make adjustments to your plans as necessary.
Schedule plan reviews throughout the year
Memories tend to fade, so it’s important to set aside time for regular plan reviews.
Review your plan at least once every quarter so the information will stay fresh in your mind.
You can also use this review time to adjust or modify your plan based on your business’ growth, changes, and needs.
Don’t forget to communicate and share your updated plan with others so everyone is on the same page.
Regular staff meetings, trainings, guidance, and documentation can be helpful resources in sharing valuable information with employees and contractors.
Create a training schedule for your business so both you and others involved can plan for it in advance during the year.
Store your plan in a secure and accessible location
A plan is worthless if you cannot readily access it. That’s why it’s a good idea to have multiple access points for your emergency plan.
Consider saving a copy of your plan via a secure cloud-based or other hosted solution.
Ensure you can easily access this plan from different devices as necessary.
You should also think about storing physical, printed copies of your plan in case you are unable to retrieve your cloud-based plan.
Think about storing hard copies of your emergency plan in a safe and secure location in both your place of business and place of residence as a backup.
While it’s impossible to plan for every possible emergency, having a plan in place is certainly much better than having no plan whatsoever.
FAQ: Planning an emergency preparedness plan
What is an emergency preparedness plan?
It’s a set of detailed written instructions to help businesses respond to emergencies such as natural disasters and environmental crises. These specific action steps help ensure business operations continue or recover smoothly in case of an unforeseen event.
Why should a business have an emergency preparedness plan?
It allows for quick task delegation, effective communication, and a way to manage crises with less stress. It also provides a better understanding of your business operations and can bring peace of mind in case of an emergency.
What should be included in an emergency preparedness plan?
Preparation steps taken days, weeks, or hours before a crisis, emergency management actions, and recovery steps to assess damage and resume operations. It should also include evaluations, alternative work arrangements, and recovery checklists.
How can you prepare yourself to create an emergency preparedness plan?
Set aside quiet, uninterrupted time for brainstorming, researching, and planning. Review and update drafts and seek professional advice if needed. Breaking the process into smaller sessions can help you better reflect and focus on your work.
How often should you review and update an emergency preparedness plan?
Review your plan at least once every quarter to keep it current with your business. Regularly share updates to staff via meetings and trainings. You should also store both digital and physical copies in secure but accessible locations.
Conclusion
Creating an emergency preparedness plan is a wise business investment. While no one can predict when or how a crisis might strike, having a plan in place ensures you’re not caught off guard.
Your plan provides a framework that can help you protect the business you’ve built for yourself. A little bit of planning now can provide peace of mind in future.
In case we haven’t yet met virtually, it’s nice to meet you! Hi, I’m Rashelle Isip, The Order Expert®, productivity coach for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and professionals.
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A version of this post originally appeared on Inc.com.
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