Coming into your new role you recognize that a Crisis Manage

Coming into your new role, you recognize that a Crisis Management Plan has never been created for the company, Blossoms Up! In your last company, it experienced a business continuity disruption that had a severe impact on its financial standing, but an effective business continuity and crisis management plan significantly helped to respond quickly to the major issue and in an organized manner. This is one more area in which you can prove HR to be an important strategic partner.

Negative media publicity--For example, a news story breaks out about a $500,000 sexual harassment claim filed against a high-ranking director

Evaluate which departments and people need to be a part of the crisis management team discuss each department that you think should be involved.

Consider:

HR

Top management

Operations personnel

Public relations experts

Legal assistance

Insurance carriers.

Solution

Business Continuity Plan is creation of processes and systems that protect the employees, firm’s assets, connectivity etc. to ensure regular functioning in case of a disaster.

In the case regarding sexual harrassment claim of 500000 $ against a high-ranking director, below are the departments and people who need to be a part of the crisis management team -

1. HR department - The role of HR department is to evaluate the claim and provide the required information for processing or denying the claim. They also need to evaluate it against the policy of the firm.

2. Top management - The role of top management is to analyze the claim based on the evidences and ensure the right decision is made either by firing the director if found guilty or retaining him in case he is not guilty.

3. Public relations experts - The role of PR experts is to ensure the media publicity is minimized on this case until a firm action is taken for or against based on the proceedings. It should ensure that negative publicity is avoided.

4. Legal assistance - The role of legal assistance is to aid the firm and top management in legal processing of the case including gathering evidences, analyzing and either mediating or settling the dispute.

5. Insurance carriers - The role of insurance carriers is to assess the claim based on the legal judgement and process the claim based on Employee Practices Liability.

6. Operations personnel - The role of operations personnel is to provide the evidence for or against the claim.