Preparing: Employee Preparedness
Employee Preparedness Home • Awareness • Supply Kit • Communication Plan & Meeting Place • Evacuation Plan • Coordinate • Response Plan: Roles and Drills
Communication Plan & Meeting Place
Developing a detailed communication plan and determining a meeting place are important for the safety of your employees during and after an emergency.
What is a communication plan?
A communication plan ensures that you will be able to communicate with your employees in an emergency and they will have plans on how to communicate with their families.
- Make sure that emergency contact information is on file for all employees. This information should include contact information for the employee, as well as at least one family member or close friend. It’s a good idea for key employees, such as department managers, to have copies of this information not only at the office, but at their homes as well.
- If you have a voicemail system at your office, designate one number that will play recorded emergency messages. Make sure your employees know to call this number in case there’s an emergency and they’re not in the office, and make sure that the information on it is up-to-date.
- Advise your employees to ask an out-of-town friend or relative to serve as their family's personal contact. Family members will call this contact and tell him or her where they are during emergencies. Make sure that all family members know the contact's phone and cell phone numbers. Be aware that cell phones are often overloaded during and immediately after an emergency.
Determining a meeting place
In addition to a communications plan, make sure that you and your employees all know where to meet when there is an emergency.
- Do not leave the office to go to the meeting place if there are advisories to stay where you are.
- The meeting place should be near your office.
- Make sure the meeting place is accessible to all employees.
