In all different jobs, a crisis can occur at any time, without warning and without any good reason. Usually, when a crisis happens there is a dedicated person who will take control of the situation, solving the crisis, troubleshooting what initially caused the problem in the first place, and will have the relevant skills and training to enable the work place to be undeterred by the crisis, enabling everything to run smoothly without a hitch. But what happens when a crisis occurs, and the dedicated employee is not in work for whatever reason or has been laid off?
It is then up to someone with a higher job role within the company to take charge. If that person, one day or now, ends up being you then to solve a crisis you need to keep a level head, be patient and do not allow any outside force to hinder your management of the crisis.
A crisis can occur in many forms. It could be a hacking breach or data loss - if this occurs always contact your IT company who runs things or call an computer data professional who will be able to solve the problem. Always ensure no employee remains using their computers, as this could cause further damage.
If hard copies of sensitive information has somehow got into the wrong hands, you will need to explore all avenues of how and why the data was lost and why it wasn’t stored away safely - or shredded. There are lots of paper shredder pros (and a few negatives, too) so if hard copies of data have been lost, it is important to put a policy in place ensuring all data is either stored or shredded.
If there is a crisis such as a leak or a part of the office building breaking - such as a roof falling in - then you absolutely need to ensure that all health and safety protocol is followed and copied by the legal requirements. If a leak occurs, then contact a plumber immediately. Do not attempt to fix it yourself - if you hurt yourself you may not be covered by insurance as an employee. If something like the ceiling falls through, move all employees away from the damaged site, ensuring everyone is uninjured. If possible, also try to move expensive electronic equipment, like printers or desktop computers. Of course, only do this if there is no possibility of you becoming injured by more falling debris.
When dealing with a crisis, it is important to keep a level head, remain calm and insist on your employees listening to you when dealing with the issue. Ask them to respect your position and ensure all legislation is followed through correctly. A crisis can be very stressful to deal with, especially if it is a bigger problem which will require outside professionals to come in and fix. However, safety is paramount in any crisis, so if you are unsure of what to do, do not go blindly into the situation. Assess what is going on and make a decision.
