Addressing Employee Needs in a Crisis

If you have ever been through a house fire, you know the emotional toll it can take. Maybe you know someone who lost a home to a hurricane or flood. You may know someone who was suddenly thrown into caregiving after a loved one was in an accident. Or you may know the feeling of getting an unexpected diagnosis that turns your life upside down.

As HR professionals, we want everyone in the organization to be at their best, contributing, learning and, of course, engaged. Your company probably has ongoing education, wellness programs, company events and you work hard to build a working environment that helps the company grow. An additional area of focus should be on helping employees and their families be better prepared should an unexpected crisis happen.  Just having an EAP is usually not enough.

The financial side of a crisis usually doesn’t get enough attention. Using FMLA time can be very helpful for employees. However, if they are hourly, they are under more financial stress, and taking time off means less income. That may not be financially able to do that. There is a growing problem of employees tapping into their own retirement savings to care for an aging loved one. Not only may it put their financial future in jeopardy, but it can also have very negative tax implications for them. Some employees who are renters may not have renters’ insurance. That can be very costly if they do not have coverage. It can also become a financial problem if an employee or their family member incurs medical costs they think are covered by their insurance but are not. Medical expenses are the number one reason Americans go bankrupt.

Clearly, the company can’t cover all these costs. However, you can provide information and ongoing education to help employees plan and be better prepared.

Using the examples of the hurricanes and the LA fires makes risks a little more real and underscores the urgency of being prepared. Here are some ways you can help your employees reduce their risks in a crisis:

• Think about providing a checklist for employees about what they should have in place.  For example, some employees may have key documents in a fireproof lockbox.  However, it may not be waterproof.  It should be both.  Bring that to your employees’ attention.
• Provide information about what should be in a “go” bag.
• Talk to employees about having a plan for where they would go if they were evacuated, including what the plan is for any pets they may have. For example, if you think you may have to evacuate, keep pets in one room to make it easier to get them into crates.
• Securely digitizing key information and documentation can provide some peace of mind.  Provide information about resources that have both a high level of security built-in and the ability to customize the information to fit their needs. If the information is digitized, it can’t be destroyed by water or fire.
• If you have a dependent care benefit, do a separate educational session about how and when to use that benefit for an aging adult. 
• For older employees closer to retirement, consider a program to help them better prepare for the next stage in life. It shouldn’t just be about retirement savings.  It should also include discussions around financial care plans, housing options, and understanding costs they may not be considering.  It doesn’t just benefit them, it can mean their adult children will have less financial risk.

No one wants to go through a crisis. We all know that when we do, it has a big impact on our lives and our mental state. It impacts our careers and our personal lives. With some advance planning, even the worst crisis can be made a little easier. Providing crisis guidance and support for your workforce sends a clear message about how the company cares for them.