"Disaster" Planning

Most companies--especially since September 11th--have instituted pretty robust disaster recovery plans. If everything goes to junk, what who does what and who goes where? But what happens when things are less than disaster level--or rather becomes not a disaster for the company but for the employees? How does your company react then?

An example of that was seen today. With the huge fire in Harlem of New York on the bridge which connects Manhattan to the Bronx, Westchester, Connecticut (and other areas), Metro-North commuter rail service was suspended coming and going to Grand Central Station, one of the busiest train stations in the entire world.

Employees had to think fast about how to get from work to home, regardless of which direction they are going. Some companies let employees go a little early to give them the opportunity to seek alternative transportation and others provided extra transportation. My company decide to take all the New York City train commuters and put them on a van from Stamford, CT to Grand Central.

Companies can do things like this all the time--and at times at no cost to the company. Letting employees work at home on days that are supposed to be really snowy or providing updates when traffic or train conditions do appear to everyone in the office are little things some companies do to avoid "disasters" for their employees. While they may seem like small gestures, they can be important ones to help keep employees happy and productive--when I didn't have to worry anymore about how I was going to get home today, I sure know I was.


-Andrew