Ask An Expert; Business Series
Welcome to Ask an Expert Business Series with Misty Lambrecht, the owner of Webfoot Marketing and Design, sharing valuable insights based on her extensive 15 years of experience in business startups and advising in Lincoln County. Are you the person in the know? Over my career, I have had personal experience when having my employer have basic knowledge of my personal life, like address, next of kin, emergency contact, and basic
medical information, has proven to be life-saving. Later, I watched this play out with
another employee’s life being saved when her employer went to her home when she did not arrive at work, to find she had a medical issue and was found on the floor of her home.
Another employer I knew had an employee suffer a stroke while at work. As small
businesses, we wear many hats, and many things are going on every day in your
business and with our employees. In the ever-changing world of relationship and housing changes, it is important to keep up on who to contact in the event of an emergency. Of course, calling 911 when appropriate, your second call should be to the supporting spouse, family member, or close friend of the person. Other important life-saving information may include some medical information, like if an employee is allergic to bees or has a severe reaction to nuts.
Everyone on your staff should know where emergency information is stored, so if
you are not available to make that critical call. Even with employees working off-site,
information should be kept up to date as you never know when you may be the critical lifeline. Recently, I learned that the DMV website will allow you to add an emergency contact to your driver's license record. This allows for a primary and secondary contact that can be used by emergency personnel when needed. Other places that may be important to
keep up to date with is your rental company if you are renting or a trusted neighbor who
may be able to assist in the event a pet needs to be let out or fed, if you are unable to return home at your normal schedule time.
If you have more than ten employees, it requires that one person for every ten employees be certified and current on CPR training. However, I believe that all people should be trained in basic CPR. Here is a listing of CPR classes in Oregon. https://www.redcross.org/local/oregon/take-a-class/cpr
Having more personal relationships with employees, neighbors, and families can build stronger and safer communities. With a world that seems so small at times, many
people live miles away from their closest family, and local support systems are a critical lifeline. Take the time to get to know your employees, ask the right questions, and express the importance of keeping information up to date. On a more personal note, get to know your neighbors, know their pets, children, where they work, and how to contact them before you really need to.
