This article was contributed by James Jones, Senior Advisor, HR Policy Global.
As we are preparing for the upcoming CHRO Summit in May, I thought it would be helpful to provide some preliminary information to bring the subject of Crisis Management Planning to the discussion. As you know, there never seems to be an absence of opportunity to test our planning, coordination, and execution of our global Crisis Management Plans, and the issues we face are often global in nature and require strategic planning and execution. Therefore, I would like to talk a bit about the need to protect the resources we have and consider alternatives and contingency plans as the conflict in Ukraine continues to develop.
The events in Eastern Europe will continue to evolve, the issues in the region will undoubtedly linger for some time to come. A great number of our member companies have operations and resources in the Eastern Europe region with employment collectively in the thousands. In addition, they have expats and families based in cities where their daily routines, education, social activities, etc. are significantly impacted by the conflict. While we can’t predict or control everything, it is imperative to have a plan in place that assists and protects our employees, their families and business continuity. In addition, we could also assume that supply chains will be strained, or non-existent, which could raise concerns about job security and furloughs. With this in mind, we will need effective communication plans in place to keep employees informed, engaged and contributing in every way possible.
Having a Crisis Management Plan of safety and security for our people is extremely important and must be in place in advance of situations such as the one we have in Ukraine. It’s also critical to have your Crisis Management Team in place and in sync to ensure timely decisions are made to best protect your employees and business interests – including frequent conversations with your Board of Directors. As you can imagine, you are not the only organization that will be attempting to extract expats, ensure food and water reach your employees and their families, and provide the ongoing support following these significant events. Your written plan, Executive Team, partners (EAP, International SOS, Guardian, Red Cross, regional and local leadership, updated remote work plan, etc.) must all be in lockstep. It’s times like these where the Human Resource Leadership Team can shine and demonstrate our relevance from the boardroom to the manufacturing floor.
In the next couple of months, we will continue to offer guidance and helpful resource material, including a Crisis Management Plan template, to support or enhance your current programs – this is the value HRPA brings! In the interim, please feel free to reach out to me at jjones@hrpolicy.org for reference material and discussion as needed.
HR Policy Global and BEERG have created a Ukraine Response Group and are facilitating weekly calls to help members with operations or supply chains in the region. If you are interested in joining, please send Henry Eickelberg an email at heickelberg@hrpolicy.org.