Precast Inc. - July/August 2008 - (Page 46) The People Side of a Disaster Protecting documents is the second goal of disaster management. Protecting people is the first. In recent years, according to Gerald Lewis, Ph.D., president of Gerald Lewis, Ph.D. & Associates (www.geraldlewis.com) in Framingham, Mass., the people side of workplace recovery has not been prioritized enough. “It is easy to get phone lines back up and your computers backed up, but your people may still be messed up,” says Lewis. “We have found this after 9/11, Katrina, and other major events, as well as a lot of minor events. In other words, the infrastructure may return to normal faster than the people do.” According to Lewis, people go through phases after a disaster. The first phase is just wanting to survive. Then there are some emotional reactions for the next few weeks. During this time, there is usually a sufficient amount of support in the workplace for the people going through these emotions. “After that, though, the support falls off,” says Lewis. “People are expected to get back to business as usual. However, this isn’t always the case. As such, this is when people usually begin to experience the difficult times – two to three months after the crisis.” He believes this is similar to what happens to members of the military returning from combat. “They are usually in pretty good shape for the first two or three months, because they are receiving a lot of support and attention,” he says. “After that, though, when the attention dies down, they can begin to experience problems.” As such, for businesses, once they have taken care of their infrastructure, IT and other business processes, it is important to begin to take care of their people. Lewis’ recommendations include Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), where employees can receive counseling; and wellness programs, which help people remain physically healthy and to maintain resilience. In fact, according to Lewis, having access to a wellness program prior to a disaster can help employees weather the disaster much better than if such a program were not in place. NPCA photo BOOTH 1344 THE PRECAST SHOW 46 JULY/AUGUST 2008 | PRECAST INC. http://www.geraldlewis.com http://www.eagleeyeproducts.com http://www.eagleeyeproducts.com
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