May 14 2020
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reopen your business

How and When to Reopen Your Business

By | Communications, Safety and Security

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 to return to some semblance of “normal.” The questions are simply how and when. In this article, we will discuss both of those questions. We will start by discussing what your business needs to consider before deciding it’s time to reopen. Then we will discuss how to put that plan into action. Read More

May 12 2020
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hurricane preparedness for businesses, how to prepare a business for a hurricane

How Businesses Can Prepare for Hurricane Season

By | Emergency Management

“Preparedness is everyone’s responsibility.”

– Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

The 2020 hurricane season is quickly approaching. Early preparation is the smartest way to ensure business continuity and protect employees.

While the full hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30, building an early plan of action helps businesses craft emergency hurricane communications ahead of time, map out their evacuation routes, and brace for impact. Developing a plan well before a storm arrives also gives employers and their people much-needed peace of mind. Read More

May 07 2020
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hurricane season during a pandemic

Preparing for Hurricane Season During a Pandemic

By | Emergency Management

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 another reality. Some of the concerns that generated the most anxiety and preparation a year ago are still relevant today—and must still be addressed. Life goes on in the midst of the pandemic, and organizations need to make sure they are not caught flat-footed by the yearly threats that seem less important in the present circumstances.

One of those threats? Hurricane season. Every year around this time, companies start to review their hurricane plans and protocols, looking for minor tweaks and improvements to make things go a bit more smoothly than the year before. 

The problem is, this isn’t just any hurricane season. The pandemic will make it more tempting to push hurricane preparedness to the wayside, when in reality: the pandemic will make hurricane season even more difficult to prepare for than past years. Read More

May 01 2020
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Keeping Your Employees Healthy and Productive in a Remote Working Environment

By | Safety and Security

In a matter of weeks, the Coronavirus pandemic has transformed remote working from a rarity into the norm. Before the pandemic, only 3.6 percent of American workers worked from home. Today, it is nearly half. 

Now that millions of Americans are working from home, however, it is turning out to not be quite as glamorous as many had envisioned it. Spending day after day between the same four walls, from morning to evening, has its challenges. Remote working for long stretches of time can lead to loneliness, weariness, and reduced productivity.

Unfortunately, though, remote working is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Even if some businesses begin to re-open in a limited capacity over the next several months, it will likely be a while before things can return to normal. As an employer or manager, that means that you need to make sure you are doing everything in your power to make your company’s remote working environment as sustainable as possible.  Read More

Apr 21 2020
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Phases of a Pandemic

Preparing Your Business for Every Stage of a Pandemic

By | Emergency Management

The Coronavirus 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 different stories and can be hard to digest. 

However, if one takes a step back and looks at pandemics broadly, there starts to be some agreement. Even though people disagree about when or how we should “reopen the economy,” just about everybody agrees on one thing: there are three stages of a pandemic. Let’s discuss what you can expect in each of those three stages, and how your business can prepare for every stage of a pandemic. Read More

Apr 14 2020
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How Our Customers are Using AlertMedia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By | Communications, Customers

Right now, virtually every type of business is using AlertMedia to communicate with their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ability to communicate back-and-forth with their employees has become an integral part of these organizations’ pandemic response plans. Essential businesses like hospitals, grocery stores, restaurants, and manufacturing facilities are sending and receiving two-way messages to manage operational changes and dispatch critical updates about the pandemic to their employees. As far as non-essential businesses go, they are using our software to communicate about office closures, reopenings, and performing wellness checks on their teams. Read More

Apr 09 2020
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COVID-19 Task Force

How to Create a COVID-19 Task Force

By | Emergency Management

As everyone is learning during the Coronavirus outbreak, pandemics are a unique type of threat. They last for months, provide new insights every week, and require organizations to adapt every day. With pandemics, it is more important than ever to be vigilant and proactive in your company’s response. 

To facilitate this agile response, many companies have decided to form central teams dedicated to pandemic response, known as COVID-19 task forces. Management experts like McKinsey and Company recommend this approach, because a small, central team is most likely to develop the creative, pragmatic solutions that a pandemic requires. 

Read More

Apr 02 2020
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duty of care at work

Duty of Care at Work: Your Company’s Responsibility to Keep Employees Safe

By | Communications, Safety and Security

Duty of care—you might have heard the phrase tossed around by companies touting their dedication to their employees. You might just associate it with liability lawsuits and big payouts. But what exactly is it?

According to Collins Dictionary, duty of care is “the legal obligation to safeguard others from harm while they are in your care, using your services, or exposed to your activities.” Read More