By
Partner, Next Step Partners
Originally published by Harvard Business Review.
Natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent and severe, with devastating consequences for both individuals and communities around the world. In the U.S., the National Centers for Environmental Information reports that between 1980 and 1989, there were an average of 3.3 natural disasters per year that caused more than $1 billion dollars in damage (adjusted for inflation). That number increased to an average of 23 per year in the last five years, with 27 such events in 2024 alone.
A natural disaster is not business as usual. These catastrophic events demand that managers prioritize their people and focus on immediate support for affected team members. The following strategies, drawn from our experience with clients as well as HR executives we spoke with, will help managers provide tangible support and mitigate stress for employees facing the emotional, logistical, and financial challenges that accompany natural disasters.
Your immediate focus should first and foremost be on ensuring the physical safety of your team members. This includes:
Safety check-ins
Call or text any impacted team members. Ask about their personal safety and physical well-being, offering a supportive ear without waiting to be asked. Let them know their safety and well-being is the number-one priority and that you and the company are there to support them. A personal check-in from you as a leader lets them know you care and are concerned about their welfare.
If your company has a business continuity plan, there are likely useful resources to help with this outreach. For example, Colony Capital, a global real estate investment trust, has used a mobile app to send automated communications quickly and at scale to selected groups of employees during fires, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Employees’ contact information is pre-loaded into the app to enable messages such as “Hi, we are checking in on you, please confirm you are okay,” to selected groups by zip code or city. Employee responses are then rapidly aggregated, highlighting the few nonrespondents for immediate outreach or follow-up.
According to Karren Fink, principal of KAF HR Consulting, companies that don’t have this type of mobile app service can manually pull employees’ contact information from their HRIS system based on city or zip code to create a modern-day phone tree.
Time off and paid leave
Recognize that these employees may need to manage immediate impacts, such as evacuations or securing shelter for their families. Check with your HR department to see if they have a specific policy for this type of situation. Fink says that most companies have some form of paid time off for these types of emergencies or can create a temporary plan in reaction to the event.
You can also inquire about a longer paid leave for those employees who may need more time to deal with the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Finding longer-term temporary housing, managing the bureaucracy of insurance claims, and potentially finding new schooling for kids all take time, not to mention cognitive and emotional capacity. A longer paid leave can also help alleviate some of the financial stress during this turbulent time.
Mental health and emotional support
Support your employees’ mental health by offering access to counseling, such as through your company’s Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), and other stress-management resources. Listen to them, validate their emotions, and show empathy. The simple act of witnessing their distress empathetically and showing that you are there to support them during this difficult time can help ease some of the stress they experience and can mitigate the degree of trauma they may experience.
You can also encourage other team members to reach out with messages of support (without the expectation of a reply). This will help to foster connectedness and create a sense of community and support during this challenging time.
During times of crisis, it’s essential to adjust workloads and expectations to allow impacted team members to focus on their immediate needs. You’ll want to:
Shift mission-critical work.
Transfer critical tasks to other teammates so the affected employee can focus entirely on their personal safety, family, and recovery. This not only alleviates pressure on the affected team member but also ensures that the team remains productive.
Adjust deadlines and expectations.
For any non-critical work, push out timelines or pause these projects altogether until the affected employee can re-assume these responsibilities. In addition, communicate these changes to the relevant stakeholders on the employee’s behalf, making this one less thing the individual needs to worry about.
Be transparent and engage the rest of the team.
Communicate regularly and openly with the team about the situation, any updates from the affected employee that they’re comfortable sharing, and the anticipated timing of when they will be able to re-engage with work. This will provide transparency for all involved as well as ensure that the team is aligned with the rebalancing of the workload. It also gives them visibility into the approximate duration of any shift in responsibilities and allows them flag any coverage issues so that modifications can be made to the reallocation of work. Ultimately, this will ensure there is little to no “mess” for the returning employee to clean up upon their return and will help make for a smoother, less stressful transition back to work.
When your impacted employee starts to re-engage in work activities, they may still feel overwhelmed. To alleviate the burden on these employees, offer practical resources, including:
Necessities assistance
If possible, consider having your team or organization organize donations of basic necessities, such as food or clothing, to help the person get settled. During natural disasters, there are often many free resources that get circulated via email and social media. Aggregate and share these, where possible, with the affected team members. For example, in the past, Airbnb has offered a free week of housing and Uber has offered free rides to evacuees. Generous offers like these can make a big difference to affected individuals.
A team member of one of Melissa’s clients tragically lost their home in the recent Palisades Fire. Rather than waiting for the individual to reach out, a colleague took the initiative to organize support, gathering essential clothing and hygiene items for the family. They also coordinated a team-wide effort to contribute to a fund, ensuring the affected family received gift cards for Amazon and a national supermarket chain—resources they could use if they had to relocate. The family expressed gratitude for the gesture, saying it relieved the awkwardness of needing to ask for help during an overwhelming time.
Financial and other assistance
As a leader, make sure you are aware of any financial or other assistance your company provides and share this information with the impacted team member, even if the company has already sent out an announcement, as affected employees may miss various communications in the midst of all the chaos. For instance, during the LA wildfires, the CEO of Penske Media Corporation sent a note to all employees saying that the company would pay for any impacted employees to stay in a hotel while evacuated, provide cash to pay for necessities, as well as match donations by employees for disaster relief and allow paid time off for any employee that volunteers to support relief efforts. This is an example of a CEO leading with heart and living the core values of their company.
Other options you may pursue on behalf of the individual are to check whether the company can offer a pay advance or loan, or even start a crowd-funding campaign to help them cover unexpected out-of-pocket expenses or administrative support to deal with personal matters. This will not only help alleviate stress but also enable them to be more present and focused when they are at work. You can also share information from the Society for Human Resources, which offers a variety of resources on its website to help team members affected by natural disasters navigate related financial and insurance issues.
Patience and flexibility
The aftermath of a natural disaster often leaves employees in a state of uncertainty. It will likely take time for the affected employee to re-focus on anything work-related. And, when they do re-engage with work, they may need additional flexibility, including flexible hours and/or the ability to work remotely (if they don’t already) to handle personal matters related to the disaster, such as changing housing, or driving a child to a new school further away.
By implementing the above strategies, you can support team members who have been affected by natural disasters and help them recover, both professionally and personally. In doing so, you can contribute to creating a sense of security at a time when their life has been upended by catastrophe.