08.23.06
Contingency Planning Impacts Employee Well-Being
Donald Rumsfeld was once quoted as saying, “Think ahead. Don’t let day-to-day operations drive out planning.” All too often having to deal with day-to-day operational issues do tend to consume us as business owners. However, it shouldn’t keep us from developing contingency plans should something go wrong such as a natural disaster, fire, or other major event that threatens the continuation of your business.
Now, there is even more evidence to suggest that contingency planning has additional benefits outside of the obvious. According to Wayne A. Hochwater, an associate professor of management at Florida State University, sensible planning also has a big impact on employee health, wellbeing and engagement.
Hochwater’s study found that the impact of contingency planning on employee attitudes was substantial. Employees demonstrated significantly higher levels of job satisfaction and a greater willingness to do things beyond what is expected by management when they knew that preparation and planning was being done. Additionally, enthusiasm and a greater willingness to work harder were also noted.
Other benefits cited by Hochwater of involving employees in contingency planning included: opening lines of communication, increasing employees’ feelings of importance, and building camaraderie.
