Hi everyone,
We are currently setting up our crisis management framework and looking for a reliable platform for communication within the emergency or crisis team. I would love to hear what tools you are using and what your experiences have been.
Additionally, we are searching for a solution to store critical documents such as emergency handbooks, contact lists, etc., externally to ensure access in case of an emergency.
Any recommendations or best practices would be highly appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
So, it is good to see that you are anticipating a crisis. Many organizations/folks have the attitude that it can't happen here. I have to make the assumption that you have done some chatting with Management and employees that represent their areas. These folk provide the best knowledge on potential threats/risks to the organisation.
When we first developed our strategy, we pulled together a team (each organisation can be different). Ours included Legal, HR, Physical Security, Audit (yep), departmental reps and Public Relations.
Each of these reps had their respective jobs and responsibilities. One thing we had to do was ensure that even though some of these folks might be higher on the org chart, that it was CLEARLY understood who was in the LEAD if anything were to happen.
Once we understood who we needed to reach out to, we needed to understand how to reach them. We had workers that were in the main facility, workers who were still working remotely, and workers (sales staff) that could be out and about. Trying to contact all of these could be problematic so we needed to use many methods. One of the most important things to remember is WHO speaks to the public (remember company rep could be on the line). If computers were available, we use internal mail and Teams (or your choice) to send out notifications.
In our case, all external communication was done through PR and they chose the method that worked for them.
We developed a call list (which included phone extensions, pagers, Company cell numbers and home phone numbers. Of course this list was fully protected and not available to just anyone.
Critical documents were stored on iPads that were stored both onsite and remotely. the documents on those devices were reviewed semi-annually to ensure completeness. And yes, I personally had a hardcopy stored at my home. As the Crisis manager, I also had certain information stored on my corporate cell phone, so that we could activate immediately.
One thing to remember, you might not have access to a computer or the internet. So a paper copy (ies) may be necessary.
Not sure this is what you are looking for, but hope it assists a little.
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