How BPO Companies Should Prepare for an Earthquake

Are BPO companies prepared if the “Big One” strikes? We have been wondering if the industry has prepared a standard protocol to follow in times of natural disasters.

To understand the participation rate of BPO companies, we decided to monitor social media during Metro-Wide “Shake Drill”. It was alarming to see that there were only few BPO companies that joined the vital event given the fact that it was done in daytime where it is considered as off- peak hours for most accounts.

We understand that some companies are challenged in terms of BCP (Business Continuity Planning) preparation. In a survey by CCAP (Call Center Association of the Philippines) BCP implementation was one of the concerns. Would the survey mean that some BPO companies would rather risk the lives of their employees than losing their profit?

Being ranked as the 3rd most disaster prone country in the world, it would be a no brainer if a company doesn’t have an established preparedness plan. See how Chevron an In-house shared service company executes BCP to ensure the safety of its employees.

1. Depending on the alert level, the crisis management team decides if late start of work or early dismissal is needed.

2. The location of fault lines and flood prone areas were identified and if needed BCP site will be used to continue normal operations.

3. On every disaster, all employees will be accounted for trough different modes of communication, a grab and go emergency wallet and bag will be provided as well.

Having a business continuity plan in place  ensures that people and processes have a plan and know the plan, this will ensure minimal impact to the business in case of disasters.

Here's some of the BPO companies that joined the Metro Wide "shake drill". Photos were gathered from Facebook.

1. Brady Philippines - in 3 minutes and 20 seconds the floor was evacuated.

2. Cognizant - employees evacuated to an open field.

3. [24]7 - Leaders demo was done during the drill.

Kudos to those companies that ensures the safety of its employees. What was your experience during shake drill? Let us know via the comments section.