Support Your Teams Through Summer Disaster Weather Season
Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, power outages, heat waves . . .
Almost 1 in 25 people in the United States had to evacuate their homes for some time due to a natural disaster in 2024, up from 1 in 100 in 2023.
Supporting your teams through disasters is now part of how you work together.
1. Disasters are hard mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Give people grace for short tempers, frayed nerves, fatigue, missed meetings, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, etc.
2. Productivity hits happen BEFORE and AFTER events, not just during.
3. Celebrate your dispersed teams because it means you're unlikely to all face the same event . . . BUT know the various vulnerabilities of your team members. When you work with me, it's part of the How To Work With Me documents we create.
4.If you're not dispersed, designate a spokesperson, someone with a near safe house (relative, etc). They can post check-ins. Do NOT have them do everyone’s job. They will burn out just as the rest of the team comes back. That team damage is hard to heal.
5. There can will be ongoing trauma, especially from loss of people, pets, or property. These days become Grace Days, when you need to give folks grieving space yearly. Help get people the professional support they need.
This is hard to figure out mid-crisis. Let's create the tools for your team when everyone is calm, dry, and powered up.
