Employees Returning to Work After a Disaster – 6 Ideas Employers Can Use to Help

 

Houstonians and Texans will forever remember the week of August 25, 2017 as one of the most horrific flooding events ever. Hurricane Harvey not only decimated the South Texas Coast, it also lingered over Houston, flooding a metropolitan area covering over 2200 square miles. Harvey became a “all hands on deck” moment when citizens and first responders rescued thousands of stranded residents from flooded homes, many without flood insurance.

Ten days later, while the waters have receded and many have power restored, the story is far from over. As the difficult recovery begins and people return to work, here are 6 things employers can do to ensure employees get the help they need. By implementing these programs you will show that you care and give your people a common mission. You will also position your company as an Employer with integrity and ethics; one who Puts People First.

1) Start a “Rebuild our Employees’ Home” campaign. Organize it like a Habitat for Humanity project and ask employees with skills in construction to join. Take this team and let them help employees who had no flood insurance (84% of flood victims in Houston did not) repair their homes.

 

2) The first day back to work after the disaster, have the CEO/President hold a town meeting with all employees to discuss what happened and how the company will be handling it. This type of communication is critical and will help employees realize what’s going on. Include a strong welcome back message with a universal rally cry (We survived Harvey! eg)

3) Create a landing page where employees can post their needs. Then build an intranet site, much like “Craig’s List” where employees can donate needed items. Keep it internal to benefit the families of your employees.

 

4) Bring counselors in through your Employee Assistance Program (The American Red Cross has access to many) and allow employees who need to talk through this horror a safe avenue to do so.

 

5) Start a catastrophic assistance fund that employees can donate money to. Appoint a committee of employees to choose how to disperse the funds.

 

6) Start a “How Can We Help Our Community” campaign and choose one organization the whole company can get behind to help. It could actually be one of your customers or vendors who got hit hard.  Set a goal for donation and challenge each department to raise those funds independent of each other. Then celebrate the department that raised the most funds in a ceremony where the named organization is present to receive the monies. Nothing ties people together better than a common mission.

There is no better time than now to show employees you care. By showing the organization’s heart and giving them a way to bond together through helping one another, you will go a long way towards getting back to being a “Happy Workplace”.

Lorraine Grubbs is an author, speaker and consultant helping companies build "Happy Workplaces"   You can learn more about her work at www.lorrainegrubbs.com