Emergency Preparedness: Are Hybrid Workers Slipping Through the Cracks?
While once a rarity in the pre-pandemic world, the flexible workplace is here to stay. With 1 in 5 workers logging in remotely, the likelihood of a fully onsite staff is not as certain as it once was, particularly with employers opting for hybrid vs. fully remote positions when hiring new staff.
While remote work can have a positive impact on employee wellbeing, hybrid employees may be at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing critical company information, including emergency preparedness plans. When it comes to including hybrid employees in safety drills, “out of sight, out of mind” may be more prevalent than intended. According to the Rave Mobile Safety report, only 57% of remote employees and 60% of traveling employees are included in safety drills, with 5% of employees unable to access workplace safety information. This poses a significant risk to both the company and employees involved in the event of a critical emergency.
In order to mitigate these risks, businesses need to establish a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan that includes step-by-step instructions in the event of a natural disaster, fire emergency, cyber security attack, active shooter incident or medical emergency. Employees should have readily-available access to all plan information in a format that is easily understood with safety drills regularly performed in both onsite and remote formats.
Unfortunately, these recommendations are often difficult to implement, particularly when struggling with staff shortages and ever-expanding duties of existing employees. Knowing how to implement an effective emergency preparedness plan is time-consuming and requires a knowledge of safety and security protocol that may not be common-place among office management.
Improve emergency preparedness for all employees with managed services
Utilizing a managed services provider for life safety and security solutions can be an effective solution when it comes to streamlining emergency preparedness for hybrid workers without overburdening existing employees. Managed service providers handle all aspects of emergency management from design, installation, monitoring, and maintenance, as well as staff training for a completely integrated security solution. Their expertise in life safety and security systems allows for quick implementation of emergency preparedness solutions for both onsite and remote employees, improving workplace inclusivity, communication and overall morale.
ComCare Managed Services
Communication Company offers two levels of managed care services - ComCare Basic and ComCare Select - to oversee your fire alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, security monitoring, annual testing and inspection, and maintenance. Select customers have access to priority queue and service level agreements for necessary updates, annual tests, and inspects to ensure all systems are functioning. Optional add-on services can also be factored into the subscription fee for enhanced customization.
To learn more about ComCare Managed Services, visit our dedicated web page or contact us today.
