Dominating Weather Worries: Making it Possible for Employees to Work from Home in Inclement Weather
Unpredictable weather patterns are making it more and more difficult for business owners to feel confident in their business continuity strategies. From snow-storms and flash-flooding to tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires, the wrath of Mother Nature poses a serious threat to continuity, no matter the industry.
Of course, the first and main priority in wicked weather is to make sure your employees and their families are safe and sound. However, once the initial danger has passed, many business owners are faced with figuring out how to keep business moving during inclement weather and the corresponding recovery periods.
First Things First: Get an Inclement Weather Policy in Place
There’s a common misconception that inclement weather policies are for large corporate enterprises with massive workforces. However, planning for the future isn’t something just big business worries about. Small business owners with teams of 50 or less should be proactive with inclement weather plans and policies just as much as the big guys.
Many modern business owners already have strategies in place to make remote business and work-from-home a possibility. However, even for organizations that do 100% of their business on-site, creating strategies for remote-work capabilities in the case of extreme weather isn’t as hard as you’d think.
If you don’t have a policy in place, your company should have a handle on the basics including:
- In the case of bad weather, how many employees would be kept from work?
- How will you notify your team in the case of an office-closure?
- Is it possible for your team members to work from home?
- If so, what resources are necessary to help them stay productive?
- Are there work devices that can be sent home with employees when extreme weather conditions are pending?
- Figure out your Equipment Needs
- Provide a Secure Way to Connect
- Determine the Data That Should be Available
- Manage Client Expectations
- Keep Employees Seasonally Informed with Regular Policy Reviews