Consider employees’ needs after a disaster

Employers must remember that after a disaster their employees are also struggling with personal priorities.

Minister of Industry, International Business, Commerce and Small Business, Donville Inniss, acknowledged that too many businesses after the passing of severe weather events believe that they can re-open in just a few hours.

He made the point during the opening of the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation (BEC) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Workshop: ‘Business Continuity and Disaster Management’, held at the Hilton Barbados Resort, yesterday.

“You must appreciate as entrepreneurs and business leaders that your staff are also human beings; they are not machines. And please appreciate that in the event of a disaster that your staff has also their own disaster recovery plans to execute. They have to ensure that their own families and immediate surroundings are safe as possible before they come to your enterprise to do your work.”

BEC’s Executive Director, Sheena Mayers-Granville, told participants that her organisation recognises that guidelines for handling business in the event of a disaster is imperative.

Such guidelines, she indicated, should not solely be for the sake of employers, but also so employees have clear expectations and are adequately informed.

“Each industry will have its unique challenges; some more complex than others – e.g. a hotelier or utility provider will have a more complex system than maybe a retailer.”

Mayers-Granville also recognised that while there is currently no governing legislation on how natural disasters should be handled, the Safety and Health at Work Act 2005 Section 6 (5) under General Duties states: “It shall be the duty of every occupier to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”

She therefore stressed that employers have a duty of care to their employees and are expected to firstly take action to preserve the life, health and safety of all employees, visitors, clients and customers in the event of any natural disaster.

President of the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados, Cedric Murrell, added that businesses must recognise the critical roles that their workers will have to play in getting the business up and running after a disaster.

“Involve them in the planning and continuous updating of workplace plans.

“You should remember that natural disasters will affect us all from time to time, and therefore the plans developed should be readily available to all staff, clearly understood and implementable by all, so that the business can be up and running in the shortest possible time after any disaster,” he said.
(TL)