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&lt;p&gt;The holiday season brings tiding and good cheer - but employers beware, it also brings snow, ice and sleet. Is your company weatherproof? Don&#39;t let inclement weather cripple your business. Here are some tips to prepare for weather emergencies:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Plan ahead&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Communicate with employees&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Promote safety first.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pre-plan&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Weather emergencies can strike at any time. However, companies can continue with business as usual when they plan ahead of time. You should designate one person per department to call employees when weather affects driving conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Typically the department manager or supervisor is the point of contact. If conditions improve, the manager can notify employees that the business will open two or three hours later, as opposed to normal times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When weather emergencies arise during work hours, the company should have an evacuation plan in place. The plan should contain procedures for notifying all employees on-site and off-site and include evacuation procedures.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Communications is key... read on!&lt;/strong&gt;~&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Communicate with employees&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Communication is key. Keep employees posted of possible inclement weather that would affect business operations. Many companies can obtain potentially hazardous weather condition updates from the National Weather Service.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;When driving conditions are affected, companies should allow employees to leave early as a safety precaution. Employees who live near the office can remain a few minutes longer than employees who have farther commutes. Use common sense and err on the side of caution when considering the safety of your employees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Safety first&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Adverse weather conditions can affect employee safety. Companies should promote safety first. During severe conditions, if there are employees who can work from home, it&#39;s best to advise them to do so. By cross training employees to perform multiple job functions, companies can prepare for emergency conditions. When some employees are hindered from coming to the office, other employees trained to fill in who live near the office may fill in the gaps.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Advance preparation, effective communication, and safety concern can prevent potential tragedies in weather emergencies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What are your inclement weather plans? Discuss them on the Employee Relations Message Board!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(c) 2000-2001 FirstDoor.com, Inc. All rights reserved. &lt;br /&gt;Firstdoor is revolutionizing HR in the e-business environment by creating the content, tools, services, and support to help organizations and managers make better decisions. To sign up for a free trial go to http://www.firstdoor.com/partners/vault.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Audra Jenkins, PHR

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