AlertMedia Blog

Introduction These days, it’s virtually impossible for employees to read everything their company sends them. Most of us are bogged down with too many emails, voicemails we rarely hear, notifications from chat tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack, and well-meaning company newsletters that hardly get a look. With so much competing for our attention and…

On September 1, AlertMedia hosted our first-ever “Coffee With An Expert” event—a live Q&A session on minimizing COVID-19 induced anxiety in the workplace. This discussion was led by our featured expert Pam Perry, CEO of HR Equity, and Peter Steinfeld, AlertMedia’s SVP of Strategic Sales.

If the first stage of the pandemic was primarily proactive, we are now safely in the reactive stage. For the first few months of the pandemic, unknowns were everywhere. We did not know how to test for the disease at scale, how it spread, or how deadly it really was. Because of all these unknowns,…

In mid-August, AlertMedia hosted a webinar on HR’s role in keeping employees safe. The conversation was held between John Muller, Director of Talent at Gehring Group, Sandra Stolte, VP of HR Benefits and Operations at Healthgrades, and Peter Steinfeld, AlertMedia’s SVP of Sales. John and Sandra provided valuable insight on the ways that HR helps…

“All too often, lives are shattered unnecessarily because of poor working conditions and inadequate safety systems. Let me encourage everyone to join in promoting safety and health at work. It is not only sound economic policy, it is a basic human right.” –Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

Introduction The daily barrage of COVID-19 statistics is all too familiar at this point in the pandemic. Every day, we hear about surging cases, increasing test capacity, and emerging hotspots. Some statistics that are not as widely discussed, however, might be some of the most important. A recently conducted joint study by the CDC and…

An effective hurricane response requires a lot. You need to be quick to identify the storm as a threat. You need to plan accordingly—and update that plan as the forecast changes. And you need to communicate that plan to your employees, so that they know what is expected of them and what your organization is…

Calming Employee Anxiety Caused by Hurricanes Imagine the following hypothetical scenario. A major storm system swirls together in the Atlantic. During a 48-hour period, it rapidly intensifies into a Category 4 major hurricane with sustained wind speeds of 130 mph. Forecasters warn that the hurricane will unleash catastrophic damage. It’s moving due west and your…

The COVID-19 crisis has fundamentally transformed the HR function and amplified the impact it can have on the business. As organizations around the world adapt to a new way of working and an evolving business landscape, the role of HR has never been more challenging—or more important. One of HR’s core responsibilities is to implement…

The decision of whether to reopen your business is weighing heavily on the minds of many leaders today. On the one hand, every company wants to keep their employees and customers safe. At the same time, many people and businesses are on the ropes because of the sudden closures caused by this pandemic. Everyone wants…

The pandemic has a certain way of putting things in perspective. Worries that seemed so important just a few months ago seem trivial today. Businesses have been forced to conjure up a new (and all too real) meaning of the word “resiliency.” But as companies start to settle into the new normal, they must acknowledge…

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unparalleled time of uncertainty. It seems that nothing can be taken for granted anymore—from basic human interaction to the supply of toilet paper. Epidemiological forecasters have tried to satisfy this need for certainty by building models to predict the spread of the disease. But these models often tell very…

For employees of property management companies, meeting strangers and showing them empty apartments, homes, or commercial spaces is simply part of the job. For real estate agents, home healthcare employees, maintenance and repair employees, and utility workers, lone worker safety is a major concern.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned day-to-day American life on its head. Work-from-home is the new normal, but some occupations make working remotely impossible. For these employees, it’s crucial that they and their employers take the necessary steps to protect them from contracting and spreading the deadly COVID-19 virus.

When most of us think about going to work, we think of desks and coffee machines and copiers. However, for many lone workers (especially social workers) the workplace looks much different. Every day, social workers in the field knock on strangers’ doors and walk into unfamiliar homes without knowing what’s inside. Just by doing their…

In January of 2014, a social worker in North Carolina began working with a male client. It became clear the client was resistant to her services—he was verbally aggressive on multiple occasions. For a home visit, she brought a peer with her as a safety measure. Despite this precaution, a confrontation occurred inside the client’s…

The Many Complexities of Winter Travel The scene is all too familiar to most business travelers. You’re sitting at the airport gate, not sure whether it’s worth pulling out your laptop again. Your flight’s been delayed by an hour at this point. The last update from the gate agent said the flight would be leaving…

No one ever plans to be stranded in a snowstorm or threatened by a hurricane. Despite predictions by meteorologists, weather seems to have a mind of its own. Due to the unpredictability of mother nature, you must be prepared to react quickly when bad weather strikes. This becomes especially challenging when you are dealing with…

Kawasaki Motors is a well-recognized brand for motorcycles, ATVs, Jet SkiⓇ watercrafts—a market leader by consumers who appreciate speed. So what does Kawasaki do when it needs to quickly reach all of its 450 U.S. employees across six states? We spoke with Tom Porter, former director of Human Resources & Administration for Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A….

In today’s school environment, effective communication is a complex undertaking. The average public school in America has more than 500 students. Meanwhile, colleges and universities can easily have upwards of tens of thousands of students. On top of that, the different members of a school community—students, faculty, staff members, and parents—tend to have wildly different…

Now is a great time to take a fresh look at your organization’s emergency management program. You should be identifying opportunities for improvement and developing strategies to address them in 2019. But that’s easier said than done, right? After all, building a comprehensive emergency management plan that can be applied uniformly to prepare for and…

Location is just as important in keeping employees safe as it is for buying real estate. Location is everything and can have long-term consequences. Perhaps this is why geolocation is finding its way into everything from marketing to security.

Introduction As a company with remote and lone workers, it’s up to you to ensure their work environment is safe and their job does not put them in harm’s way. OSHA is clear about employer’s responsibilities: Provide well-maintained tools and equipment, including appropriate personal protective equipment Report to OSHA within 8 hours of accidents that…

Event Pages Make Organizational Communications More Efficient Whether it’s an emergency or a non-critical event, ongoing communications with employees is often necessary. AlertMedia is known for mass notifications, but we also support efficient communications throughout the life of any event – from planning through resolution.

Finding the Right System An emergency notification system is all you need to protect your employees, right? That can be easier said than done. If you’ve been relying on email or phones to inform and alert your employees, you have a little homework to do before you can choose the best emergency notification software for…

With 2017 already underway, it’s a good time to look at what we think will be major drivers in the mass notification system market. One recent report estimates this market is to grow from $4.16 billion in 2016 to more than $9 billion by 2021. It appears the focus will be on business continuity strategies…

The Government’s Take on Alerts I was surprised to learn that the federal Emergency Alert System (EAS) was only used at the local level until November 9, 2011 at 2 pm eastern. This date marked the first time FEMA ever tested the EAS nationwide. All of the television and radio test sirens you have ever…

Key Drivers A recent article from Campus Safety magazine discusses how college campuses are attempting to maximize the ROI of their alert systems. This isn’t a surprise, as it has become mandatory for schools to have some sort of mass communication system in place for emergencies. Sadly, school campuses from elementary through college have lost…

On Friday, October 21st, we had the special privilege of joining several other technology companies in the Austin area for a day of community service coordinated by the Entrepreneurs Foundation. The Entrepreneurs Foundation was founded by former entrepreneurs and venture capitalists helping to give local technology companies the opportunity to share their time and money…

Your Event Management Doesn’t Have to be so Hard Company execs love to put on big, fancy events. They may invite business leaders, managers, partners, suppliers, stockholders, board members, customers, and maybe even regular employees who deserve a night on the house.

The Travel Risk is Real You don’t have to look long to find news of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, political unrest, and other safety threats around the world. It can be a scary place, especially if you’re a frequent traveler. Not too long ago, business travelers only had to be concerned with logistics and language…

To prepare for one of the biggest annual celebrations in the Shenandoah Valley, the Rockingham County Fair partnered with AlertMedia to keep all attendees and staff safe and informed throughout the week-long event. “[Fair] organizers say nothing is more important than safety,” reports WHSV News. Making the fairgrounds a fun and safe environment for family…

Phone trees and mass emails used to be great methods for keeping your employees updated on a situation. People also used to think the world was flat. Times, however, have changed. Today, old school one-way messages simply won’t cut it. Your staff deserves modern technology to facilitate efficient communication in the workplace. Two-way mass communication…

A critical event can be incredibly stressful, and if you aren’t prepared to effectively communicate when disaster strikes, a negative situation can escalate quickly. The cost of unpreparedness is high – a notification that is put together in the spur of the moment can have a devastating effect that will likely prove costly for an…

Employees venture into dangerous situations every day. Workers in hazardous positions face serious threats while simply doing tasks required by their job. While most employers wish they could increase safety support for their workers, they aren’t sure where to begin. They believe it will be too time-intensive, too costly, or otherwise impossible. But increasing employee…

When the overflow of content is so extreme, it can be difficult to decide what is relevant and what is unnecessary buzz. AlertMedia’s sources can provide automated, personalized, and cultivated updates on events applicable to you. Our sources are monitored by real people, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure you receive…

Mass communication systems: They’re used to send out Amber Alerts and notify people of flood warnings, right? Seems cut and dry. Well, not exactly. Mass communication has been turned on its head and emergency notifications are now only the tip of the iceberg. Your people are connected like never before. They have powerful mobile devices,…

In addition to communicating quickly and easily during emergency situations, organizations are looking for a holistic platform that gives them the option of notifying their audience for a variety of needs: marketing, operational improvements, organizational announcements, scheduling, and much more. From promotional subscriptions to automating manual processes, you should be able to use your notification…

We’re excited to announce updated monitoring services. We have improved our ability to deliver a customized, comprehensive approach to monitoring and tracking items that directly impact our customers’ organizations.

Winter is the most common time of year for accidental fires. Space heaters, fireplaces, and candles are examples of hazards that create fire risk in times of cold weather. Here are a few things you can do to stay safe while keeping warm: Candle Fires: Keep candles away from flammable objects. Every year careless candle…

“First responders from 12 agencies were dispatched to an emergency exercise at the Pendleton Grain Growers, Inc. (PGG) Feedville, Ore., location. The exercise participants responded to a dispatch call of an incident that involved the widely used agricultural product, anhydrous ammonia”.

It happens all the time… incidents that disrupt a company or organization’s daily operations — a power outage, an event cancellation, a facility accident, or a security breach. Some are minor incidents, some are major, but all require that you disseminate accurate information immediately to all affected parties. Preparing for these incidents takes proper planning….

AlertMedia is changing mass notification into useful communication. When a message is urgent or important, when communication is critical, AlertMedia offers the most complete solution for knowing what’s going on, getting the word out, and controlling the message throughout an event. One time, one-way communication is useless. Your people need updates. They need to share….