Los Angeles is in the grip of unprecedented wildfires that are destroying homes and ending lives.
A fire that started in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday morning quickly blazed out of control, and has so far burned more than 17,000 acres and 1,000 structures. Several more fires, including the Eaton fire which has burned more than 10,000 acres and killed at least five people, are tearing throughout the city, exacerbated by high winds that at one point reached 100 miles per hour.
The fires have closed down the famous Pacific Coast Highway, and filled the skies above Los Angeles with smoke. Thousands of people have evacuated their homes, and as major neighborhoods of the city have either burned down or become inaccessible. While some people may return to their homes quickly, others will have a long journey back to normal, especially in light of increasing insurance costs or nonexistent coverage. That’s left many employers to wonder how they can best show up for affected employees.
“This is not the time to start thinking about, ‘Well, this is the requirement by law, therefore, I should do the minimum required.’ No, that's the wrong answer,” says John Staines, Managing Partner, Global Human Resources Practice at DHR Global. “The right answer is: What would you do for yourself and your family? And treat everybody else the same way.”
Here’s how employers can help workers impacted by the Los Angeles fire.
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Make sure everyone is safe and keep communicating
Communication is everything. After reaching out to employees who may have been directly affected by the fires, make sure workers have up-to-date information about where they can go to access services, which parts of the city are closed off, how to access their benefits.
Some employees may only have occasional access to their phones and internet during this time. That means companies should use several different channels to update employees, including e-mail, Slack, and text alerts.
West Monroe, a consulting firm, tells Fortune their HR team is reaching out to employees one-on-one to help with individual situations, and company leaders are communicating regular updates to the workforce at large.
“We’ve reminded employees to reach out to their LA office leader, HR, or project leaders if they need assistance. We’re here to provide personalized guidance and help based on individual circumstances,” the company wrote in a statement.
Allow workers flexibility
The Los Angeles fires are spreading rapidly, and people are being forced to evacuate at a moment’s notice. As Angelinos anxiously check fire maps to see if their house will be next, employers should let workers step away from their duties immediately.
“Let people leave. That's the first thing,” says Emily Rose McRae, Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner HR practice. “Make it easy for people to evacuate so that they are safe. Their loved ones are safe, their pets are safe. There is very little chance that the business value generated while your employees are under evacuation warning would outweigh anything regarding life and limb.”
And while many employees are still working, many are finding it difficult to concentrate on day-to-day tasks while images of their burning city take over television and social media. Some people may need to take some time off work altogether to process the unfolding events, even if they are not directly affected.
“Don't say, ‘Okay, well, if you need to take leave, that's fine, but otherwise we need you working your usual 60 hour weeks right now,” says McRae. “Being understanding wherever possible is pretty critical here.”
Make sure everyone is clear on the benefits they can access
There are different kinds of benefits that may apply to workers affected by fires or other natural disasters.
Some companies may have climate change benefits, an increasingly popular offering, which includes things like compensation for affected employees, stipends for air purifiers, and subsidized homeowner insurance. And Employee Assistance Programs, or EAPs, are programs that connect employees with counseling or other mental health resources. These can be especially helpful directly following a major natural disaster.
“Those programs can do things like help you find a doctor,” says McRae. “Contact your EAP, see if they could help people with filling out their home insurance claims for their evacuation, because frequently, evacuation is covered under insurance.”
Even aspects of basic health insurance are important right now, especially for employees who may be having asthma attacks or breathing trouble.
Because employees may be overwhelmed with the unfolding events, bosses and people managers should step in and take time to explain exactly what their benefits entitle them to, and make sure employees are clear on what steps they should take.
“It’s just about getting the information and resources that you probably have available, or could easily make available, to the people who need them,” says McRae.
Consider offering immediate grants to affected employees
While people may have insurance for their house or car, some people may need immediate money to deal with the basics like food and shelter.
Some companies, like PwC, offer one-time grants to employees who have been affected by a natural disaster. And while this is sometimes part of a larger climate change benefits package, companies can also decide to just give money directly to employees.
Provide access to mental health support
Mental health support is a particularly important consideration for employees right now, even if they haven’t been directly affected by the fire.
These benefits may be part of a company’s climate change benefits, wellness benefits, or just regular health insurance.
“This is a very good time for letting people know both about whatever mental health assistance is available through the organization, and doing so regularly, because these are going to be prolonged events,” says McRae.
Put a plan in place for next time
Just as hundred-year storms now seem like a common occurrence, wildfires that were once unthinkable are likely to become more common as climate change continues to upend previous norms.
That means that employers should be ready for the unexpected, and doubly so considering that The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to protect workers from known hazards.
“Things that are as simple as determining whether you’re in a disaster-prone area and what types of disasters you could be subject to at your facility is one of the first steps you should take,” Patrick Joyce, a labor and employment attorney at Seyfarth who assists clients with environmental counseling and litigation, previously told Fortune.
Natural disaster plans across the board have many similar elements, including a method for communicating with employees quickly and at scale, having a hired or volunteer emergency response team in place, and creating a blueprint for different scenarios so that the company can spring into action rather than scramble for answers.
“It’s important to have those plans in place, and as soon as you're able, you execute on the plan. What happens if one of our warehouses burns down, all those types of things. And the more options you work through, the more prepared you're going to be for emergencies,” says Staines.
But right now, it’s important that employers offer their workers as much grace as possible.
“This is a wonderful time for being understanding and not saying after this week: ‘Okay, can we get back to normal now,’” says McRae. “People are going to be under an incredibly high level of stress for [a] potentially extended period of time. Support them, however that makes sense.”
