Owning and running an Indiana business can be fulfilling and exciting, especially when things are going smoothly. However, unexpected events, such as a natural disaster, could financially devastate your business and or even threaten your entire business operations.
Therefore, it is important to have an emergency plan in place for your business. The first step in putting together an emergency plan is analyzing the risks your business is likely to face.
The risk assessment
Think about what unexpected events are most likely to impact your business and learn where your weaknesses are. For example, perhaps you did not invest in high-quality technology for your business. If you are not able to make this investment yet, you could be at a higher risk for a cyberattack.
Once your risk assessment is complete, learn what resources will be available to you in an emergency. Decide if the resources have the information you need to address the emergency. If not, learn what information you will need.
After you’ve completed your risk assessment and reviewed available resources, you are ready to develop your business emergency plan. Your plan should address both immediate and long-term needs after a disaster and prioritize the risks that you are more likely to face.
Develop a communication plan
Your business emergency plan should include how you will communicate during an emergency, since there is an immediate need to communicate when an emergency occurs. Determine how you will communicate with each other, your clients or customers and family members of your employees, who will likely want updates.
When your written plan is in place, review it with your employees and answer any questions they may have. Role playing or using training exercises plan may help everyone be better prepared if disaster strikes. This ensures everyone knows what to do if there is an emergency and business operations are disrupted.
Advance emergency planning is critical. An emergency plan is crucial to keeping your business and employees safe.
