A major storm system swirls together in the Atlantic. Over 48 hours, it rapidly intensifies into a Category 4 beast with sustained wind speeds of 130 mph. Forecasters warn that the hurricane will unleash catastrophic damage. It’s moving due west and your state is directly in its path.
Panic.
There is plenty to fear for anyone facing a major hurricane. From personal injury to financial loss, these storms can be destructive, deadly, and result in long-term suffering. Read More
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 human capital strategies that enable the organization to meet its current and future talent needs. But for any HR initiative or program to achieve its full potential—especially given our current circumstances—employee health and safety has to be at the top of HR’s agenda. Read More
At the dawn of the 20th century, Galveston was arguably slated to become the largest city in Texas. A 27-mile long island rising a mere five feet above sea level, the bustling town had grown into the state’s central port. Numerous millionaires called it home, and downtown’s Strand District was dubbed the “Wall Street of the South.”
All of that changed on September 8, 1900.
With little warning and a lack of the communication technology we now have, a Category 4 hurricane slammed into the coast. Winds in excess of 140 mph battered homes and businesses. A storm surge over 15 feet high swallowed the island. By the following morning, the entire city was leveled. Read More
We’re honored to be recognized as one of the Best Places to Work by the Austin Business Journal for the fourth year in a row. Below is a quick review of our history with the Austin Business Journal’s yearly awards: Read More
As businesses start to reopen—bringing employees back to the physical workplace— decision-makers are having to wrestle with the questions of how and when to reopen. Even as more and more companies decide to do so, however, it is with the realization that it will be a long time before things are truly back to “normal.” In fact, some things may never go back to the way they were before the pandemic.
One of those things is business travel. Business travel was one of the first things that halted when the pandemic hit, and it will almost certainly be one of the last things to restart. There are inherent risks that come with travel of any kind—since disease transmission is both more likely and more dangerous while traveling.
All the same, travel never fully ceased, and some companies are starting to consider how and when to restart their business travel. For some companies, business travel is the lifeblood of their operations. The process will obviously be gradual, but travel managers need to start thinking about when it makes sense to wade back into the world of business travel.
This article will unpack the key questions your organization needs to be asking when planning necessary or future business travel. Specifically, your company will need to decide:
As businesses across the country move to reopen, one thing is becoming clear. This is a difficult and complicated process—and communication is critical.
One of the most useful types of communication that organizations are using to facilitate this process is surveys. Getting feedback from employees is absolutely necessary to plan and execute an effective reopening. Surveys—sent out using your organization’s mass communication system over SMS, email, voice, or push notification—help you gather this feedback quickly and efficiently in mass. Read More
NOAA recently released their 2020 hurricane predictions and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are expected to have an above-normal season. The well-respected team of hurricane forecasters from Colorado State agree—predicting a season that is 50% more severe than average, when it comes to major hurricanes. When you add in the uncertainty and disruption caused by the pandemic, the end result is a hurricane season that could be unprecedented in its potential for destruction.
As businesses and organizations craft their hurricane preparedness plans, it is vital to business continuity and employee safety that hurricane communications are relevant and can be sent rapidly as conditions change. The fastest way to ensure every employee receives the right message at the right time is to utilize hurricane notification templates. Modern emergency communications solutions will provide templates that companies can send across all communication channels, including email, text, push notifications and phone calls. Read More
Hurricanes are fast, furious, and can last for days. Do you have a hurricane communication plan that you can use before, during, and after one hits?
The average life of a hurricane is nine days and it is most destructive during its first 12 hours onshore. As you think about preparing your business for a hurricane, you want to keep organizational communication top of mind. Doing so will help mitigate losses and improve safety outcomes. Read More
With hurricane season just days away, it’s time for businesses to start preparing for potential impact. The first line of defense in protecting your people and assets is understanding how a hurricane’s category level can help your business prepare appropriately. Read More
While most of the country has been under stay-at-home orders for the better part of two months, essential workers have continued to show up for work every day to keep our communities running. As many states begin easing lockdown restrictions and organizations start considering a full return to work, many more employees will soon find themselves back in the workplace.
But with over 1.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. alone at the time of writing, it’s not just behemoths like Amazon and Walmart that have had to (or soon will) deal with coronavirus in the workplace.
If your organization hasn’t yet had a confirmed case of COVID-19 in your workforce, chances are that you likely will at some point. So, do you know what to do if an employee tests positive for COVID-19? Read More
