Updating Emergency Contacts

If you've never had to contact an employee's family due to an emergency in the office, consider yourself lucky. You usually won't see an emergency coming, so it's important to be prepared when it happens. Below are easy ways to maintain an updated emergency contacts list for employees in your office, department, or company.

When

When an employee starts working for a company, the emergency contact list should be included with all of the necessary documentation for federal, state, and local compliance. Once you have one for every employee, the list should be updated annually.

When asking for your annual update, be sure to give a deadline. Undoubtedly, someone will hang on to that contact form for weeks if they are allowed. These people are just natural procrastinators. Give them a week, maximum. You should keep a running tally of those who have and haven't turned their updated list in. You'll have to begin hounding those who haven't updated and returned it in a timely manner.

Make sure you streamline the process. If you're sending the file electronically and expect to keep your records the same, it's important to tell your employees that you expect the list to be returned via email. You may even want to include instructions depending on how savvy your employees are. If you're flexible with the terms in which you want to receive the lists back, make sure you tell them that too. Otherwise, you'll be inundated with questions.

What Information is Necessary?

It's important to have a very comprehensive list when keeping emergency contacts. Be sure to include the following along with any information pertinent to your company or to the employee's position:

• Local contact: Name, phone number
• Out-of-state contact: Name, phone number
• Next of kin: Name, relationship, phone number
• Physician: Name, phone number
• Allergies or specific medical conditions to be aware of
• Special instructions

Keeping Contacts

Managing your emergency contacts list is easy. If you're interested in keeping a paper copy of each list, feel free to organize it however you would like. Using a file folder is fine; however, we hope that the unexpected emergency doesn't affect the entire building. In the event of a fire or some other unfortunate event, it could destroy your emergency contacts lists. With the OfficeArrow emergency contacts lists, you can maintain your files electronically through using our pdf file. Simply send this file to each employee and have them return it to you via email. Then, organize your electronic files by naming each list for the employee who filled it out and store it in a file you've created on your desktop or somewhere else and label it "Emergency Contacts". In most cases, your data will be saved on server space your IT department has procured which is accessible anywhere. This will allow you to effectively maintain accurate records even when you're not on your work computer.

Though it never hurts to be too prepared, it's important to let your employees know exactly what you want and when you want it. If it's a large company, you'll have to be vigilant in acquiring the lists from all employees, but they will eventually give in to your request. Keep thorough records and set reminders to update these lists every year. You'll find it much easier to handle yourself in emergencies knowing that your records are up-to-date and complete.