Disaster Recovery Journal, Fall 2009

CASE HISTORY

Doing the Right Thing: Putting

Associates First in Times of Crisis

By SHAWN BERG

Ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune maga- zine for 11 consecutive years, diversified automotive company, JM Family Enterprises Inc. (JM Family), is known for best practices. Founded by automotive legend Jim Moran, and built upon his guiding philos-ophies, including the “3C’s” of communication, cooperation, and consideration, JM Family considers its staff far more than employees. We are associates – and, as instilled by Moran, our company’s “most important asset.” That fundamental belief is reflected in both day-to-day operations and how we handle crisis management. This critical function is viewed not just from the perspective of compliance; rather, we consider it the right thing to do. Simply stated, we put both associates and business continuity first – especially in times of crisis.

JM Family considers the most important element of any successful crisis management plan to be caring for associates. Following a crisis, it is only after we are certain our associates are safe and accounted for that we focus on enterprise

concerns, including customer service. This approach is what we are all about. It makes good business sense and also benefits the company by building commitment and loyalty. If associates know they and their families will be cared for, they are more likely to go that extra mile, and do whatever it takes to recover business operations and related technology.

Crisis Management Team

JM Family President and CEO Colin Brown, and members of the executive management team, support and participate in our crisis management team (CMT). In addition to senior leadership, business-critical enterprise groups, defined as associates who provide services during a crisis, are also included in all planning. These groups include human resources, information technology services, and corporate security, among others. Crisis management is taken seriously at JM Family for our more than 4,500 associates working in 14 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Keeping Associates Informed

JM Family has a strong and effective internal communications program. Throughout the year, crisis communica-

tions are sent to all associates to help them always be equipped for a crisis or emergency situation. Additionally, hurricane preparedness “lunch and learns” are presented each year, featuring guest speakers, such as representatives from the American Red Cross, and meteorologists from local news stations. We also print helpful information on “table toppers” displayed in our cafes, continuously disseminate key messages through our intranet, and provide useful updates via JMFE-TV, our com-pany-wide internal television system.

Emergency Control Center

We have also established an enterprise-wide four-digit emergency telephone number. It allows all associates to reach our emergency control center, which is manned 24x7x365. Based on the severity of the crisis, the Center redirects incoming calls to the appropriate enterprise group. From there, the CMT is engaged on a secure conference bridge to follow the plan and make critical decisions. The CMT shares significant updates via all-associate e-mails and voicemail messages.

Associate Hotline

Our associate hotline is an interactive, two-way communications system, accessed by associates over a dedicated toll-free number or through an online system. The hotline broadcasts continuous crisis-related updates to associates and receives critical feedback from them. At the core of its design is an 800 telephone number. Immediately following a crisis, all associates are required to call, text message, or log on to the Web site and report their personal safety, home damage status, etc. The number for the associate hotline is printed on the back of each associate’s ID badge so that it is always available.

After the crisis has passed, departmental calling trees are activated and associates begin to report in. The human resources department also activates its call center to contact associates who have not been accounted for in a reasonable amount of time. If after several hours there are associates who have not reported in, volunteer search and restoration teams go to the associates’ homes to determine their status. Team members bring with them company-provided restoration kits to provide associates in need with roof tarps, food items, flashlights, etc.