o help you and your organization become better prepared for potential disasters,
Workforce Management has assembled this package of practical disaster preparedness
guides created by workforce management professionals for workforce management professionals.
In a Workforce Management exclusive online offering, Catherine F. Johnson, HR
manager at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, offers an impressive firsthand account
of how the clinic quickly staffed up an entire health care system to help victims
of Hurricane Katrina.
In a separate companion article, Johnson also shows how the Mayo Clinic’s experience
during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina can also apply to emergency staffing for
many other types of businesses. Johnson provides a practical checklist for dealing
with staffing in emergency situations.
In their book Leading People Through Disasters: An Action Guide Preparing for
and Dealing With the Human Side of Crises, authors Kathryn D. McKee, SPHR, and Liz
Gutheridge lay out a blueprint to help HR professionals deal with the effect of
disasters on their workforces.
Workforce Management is pleased to provide you with four advance excerpts from
McKee and Gutheridge’s book, which is published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers and
available July 28, 2006.
We hope your business never has to put its disaster plans into action, but there
is no substitute for being prepared. However, these pragmatic guides can help you
and your company should trouble ever come calling.
This Is Not A Drill--An Emergency Staffing Plan in Action
Mayo Clinic’s emergency staffing plan proved its mettle when Hurricane Katrina
struck the Gulf Coast in 2005.
When a Disaster Strikes, Will You Be Able to Staff It?
Created by Mayo Clinic’s HR manager, this article outlines the steps for creating
an emergency staffing plan. With proper preparation, you will be calm and ready
for any major emergency event you might face.
Book Excerpt
Part 1: Leading People Through Disasters
An Action Guide: Preparing for and Dealing With the Human Side of Crises
After the First Interstate Tower in Los Angeles burned on May 4, 1988,
HR leaders had to relocate all employees quickly to new work sites.
Part 2: Leading People Through Disasters
An Action Guide: Preparing for and Dealing With the Human Side of Crises
Because of concerns about caring for employees, a "responsibility structure"
was devised so that all affected managers, HR leaders and individuals in other key
functions were clear on who was responsible for what once employees were safe and
the company was ready to start back to work.
Part 3: Leading People Through Disasters
An Action Guide: Preparing for and Dealing With the Human Side of Crises
When the rains, winds, fire or floods have ceased, it’s time to pay attention
in equal part to people’s physical and emotional states in anticipation of going
back to work.
Part 4: Leading People Through Disasters
An Action Guide: Preparing for and Dealing With the Human Side of Crises
Everyone, especially managers and those in HR, should be extra sensitive to
the needs and problems of employees. Managers should be aware of unusual behavioral
trends or problems developing in your department.
Related useful links:
What to Do in a Catastrophe
After the Disaster: 10 Issues for Employers
Conference Board Avian Flu Resource Site
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