Natural disasters and various emergency situations can affect any company’s performance and competitiveness. Therefore, disaster recovery planning is one of the central areas of modern organization management. The case of AlphaPet reveals some ways to address emergency situations regarding such organizational function as human resources management. The company had to face various issues when the area was affected or rather deteriorated by a series of tornadoes (Loepp, 2011). Yash Awasthi, Operations vice president, made wise decisions that ensured the safety of the employees. The plant was also able to restore its functions within quite a short period of time. This paper includes a brief analysis of the story and some other organizational functions that should be involved in disaster recovery planning.
Wise Decisions
It is clear that the company had an emergency plan in place as the employees knew about the spot designated for certain emergency situations. Such plans are crucial especially for regions where natural disasters are frequent or likely to happen (Wallace & Webber, 2017). Importantly, the executive was not afraid to make quick decisions, which is vital as unexpected situations and issues occur quite often. Awasthi did not wait for sirens but ordered people to go to the designated areas, and that proved to be beneficial for people’s safety. This case shows that plans can be effective and detailed, but the person in charge should be ready to respond to challenges that are not described in the disaster planning. The story told focuses on human resources management and ways to ensure people’s safety during an emergency. Clearly, this is an important organizational function to address during disaster recovery planning as it ensures the safety of people, which is any company’s priority.
Other Functions
At the same time, it is also essential to consider other functions including logistics, IT, finances, and sales. All these areas are equally important as they ensure proper functioning of an organization. IT can be the first function to consider as it is related to other operations. When considering this sphere, it is essential to make sure that the facility will have the necessary power to communicate with different departments and facilities, as well as the rest of the world (Roper & Payant, 2014). Loepp (2011) mentions that the company managed to locate generators and power the plant and restore some operations. It is also clear that the communication with other departments and facilities was also available since other departments assisted the plant. Proper functioning of the IT department is vital as it ensures effective communication and information sharing. The organization having issues with its information technologies can be unable to ask for help, identify areas of major concern, restore operations quickly.
Logistics and sales are important areas as they ensure business continuity. In the case in question, a plant was affected. When such facilities are unable to fulfill daily operations, the company may fail to meet deadlines, which can result in financial and reputational losses (Roper & Payant, 2014). One of the first issues to focus on is associated with power as the production process should be restored as soon as possible. Besides, it is crucial to communicate with partners both suppliers and buyers. It is important to make sure that all the necessary resources are available or the buyers will receive their products timely. The company should also be aware of the damage caused to the area’s infrastructure with the focus on roads availability. Thus, sales and logistics functions should be involved as the facility’s operations should be restored within the shortest time possible.
Finally, it is also important to include such function as finances since this area is associated with the availability of resources. An effective disaster recovery plan should include certain estimates of the funds needed to respond to and recover from various disasters (Wallace & Webber, 2017). It is important to make sure that the allocated funds can be accessible. It is noteworthy that the proper functioning of these operations is closely linked with the IT department. Communication channels should be available as the facility should be able to estimate the loss and inform about the needed materials and resources. Furthermore, an effective emergency plan should contain some estimates of potential financial losses and possible ways to reallocate resources. These figures can help the company recover faster.
Conclusion
To sum up, the disaster recovery planning process should involve such organizational functions as human resources management, sales, logistics, IT, and finance. All these areas are closely connected and equally important as the proper functions of the associated departments can ensure business continuity and rapid recovery. The case in question is illustrative in terms of the effective decision-making in the sphere of human resources. Nevertheless, it is also necessary to have a detailed plan related to the functions mentioned above. Clearly, communication is the major pillar of an effective response to and rapid recovery from disasters as the affected company should be able to foresee the upcoming emergency situation, estimate the damage, communicate its needs.
References
Loepp, D. (2011). How AlphaPet dealt with the Ala tornadoes. Web.
Roper, K. O., & Payant, R. P. (2014). The facility management handbook. New York, NY: AMACOM Division of American Management Association.
Wallace, M., & Webber, L. (2017). The disaster recovery handbook: A step-by-step plan to ensure business continuity and protect vital operations, facilities, and assets. New York, NY: AMACOM Division of American Management Association.