Written by Al Barbasiewicz | 23rd July 2025
In the last few years alone, businesses have faced extreme heatwaves, floods, public transport strikes, supplier failures, cyber attacks and of course, a global pandemic. Events like these can throw your operations into chaos, put your team at risk, and cause serious disruption with little or no warning.
As an employer, you can’t always predict what’s coming, but you can make sure you’re ready for it. Having clear, well-communicated emergency policies in place helps you stay compliant, protect your people, and keep things running as smoothly as possible in times of crisis.
Common emergency situations to plan for
Emergency preparedness isn’t just a box-ticking exercise, it’s a legal requirement. You have a duty of care under health and safety legislation and employment law to plan ahead and manage risk responsibly. That includes having policies and procedures that your team understands and can rely on when things don’t go to plan.
You don’t need a different policy for every type of incident, but you do need a clear and flexible framework that you can adapt as needed. Think about scenarios like extreme weather – storms, snow, heatwaves or floods – that can stop staff from getting to work safely or make your workplace unsafe. Infrastructure problems like power cuts, water shortages or damage to your building can shut down operations entirely, especially if remote working isn’t an option.
Transport disruption or strike action, whether from your own staff or public services, can leave you short-staffed at a moment’s notice. And then there are commercial challenges like supplier failures, contract cancellations or sudden changes to funding, which can create huge operational pressure overnight.
Being prepared for situations like these not only keeps your people safe, it keeps your business up and running.
What a good emergency policy should include
An effective emergency policy starts with identifying the kinds of emergency situations that could realistically affect your business. This might be localised events like flooding, or larger-scale issues like cyber attacks or public health crises.
It should clearly explain when the policy would be triggered and who has the authority to activate it. Your people need to know who’s in charge and how they’ll hear from you when something happens.
The policy should lay out how you’ll respond – this could include evacuation, remote working, adjusted working hours or a temporary closure. It should be clear about how staff will report incidents, what happens in terms of pay or leave if they can’t work, and how health and safety will be managed.
Your employees should understand what’s expected of them and where to go for support. Equally, your line managers need to know who’s responsible for decision-making and communication. The policy should also outline how you’ll communicate with external stakeholders and when that would be appropriate.
Finally, make sure your policy includes a regular review schedule. As your team, structure or operations evolve, your emergency procedures should evolve too.
Employee communication during emergencies
In an emergency employees need to know where they stand, what’s happening, and what support is available.
Make sure your line managers are equipped to communicate information effectively and answer questions from their teams. Set up communication channels that work quickly, for example internal emails, WhatsApp groups or text alerts. Whatever you choose, it needs to be consistent.
In some cases, you might need to contact employees’ families or emergency contacts. Your policy should explain when and how that will happen, and who will take the lead on those conversations.
Be prepared for misinformation or gossip to spread, especially in emotional situations. Give your managers the tools to address concerns calmly and have difficult conversations. And make sure employees know where to turn for help, such as through your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or mental health support.
Practical steps to take now
A well-written policy is only useful if it’s understood and applied properly. That’s why now is the time to review your current policies and ask are they realistic and easy to follow? Are they flexible enough to cover different types of emergency? Are your managers trained to implement them fairly and consistently?
Once you’ve reviewed or created your policies, make sure all employees know what they contain. Use induction processes, team briefings or internal comms to make them part of your working culture. You should also check that employee emergency contact information is up to date and that everyone knows how and where to access the latest guidance in a crisis.
Policy review and development support
We work with businesses to develop tailored, practical emergency response policies that reflect their specific risks, operations and workforce needs. We can review your current documents or help you create new ones, whether as standalone policies or as part of your employee handbook.
Training for managers
We also offer training for managers to help them apply emergency-related policies in a way that’s fair, legally compliant and practical under pressure. From communication to decision-making, our management training equips your team leads with the tools they need to navigate difficult situations with confidence.
Ready to strengthen your emergency policies? If you have any questions, please contact our team at info@realityhr.co.uk