By John Quintana, interim deputy laboratory director operations / chief operations officer
We all have someone that we can rely on in an emergency. That person might be a partner, family member or just a good friend who is willing and capable to provide immediate help to us and our families should an emergency strike. We trust them and we can pick up our phones and call or text them, and we know they will come.
What if something happened to you and you needed that person, but you couldn’t pick up that phone? How would that person feel?
In the next few weeks, you’ll be using Workday for completing performance appraisals and open enrollment. While you’re using that system, I’d like you to take a few minutes to think about the person you would call and add their emergency contact information to your profile, as well as update your own individual contact information.
Why add emergency contact information to Workday? It is to help you and those you care about by helping first responders and hospital staff reach out to someone you trust. One of the difficulties long faced by emergency services personnel is how to locate and notify a contact for someone who is unconscious or otherwise unable to respond to questions. It takes time to track down a family member or other responsible person with just the information found on an employee badge. This can delay informed medical care and can cause undue stress for family members who are not aware of an emergency event and are waiting for information. Also, the person unable to respond might need others to attend to life situations created by the absence.
When emergency contact information is stored in Workday, responders can contact the laboratory’s Fire Alarm Office operated by our Fire Department at any time and get that data immediately. Those names and numbers are held in confidence by the laboratory and shared with emergency response personnel only at the time of an emergency.
Personal contact information (such as cell and/or home phone, and personal email address) is mainly used to contact you about changes in laboratory operations (due to snow events, for example) but may be used in emergencies as well. However, this information is primarily used to inform you of an emergency affecting the laboratory. It isn’t a replacement for the emergency contact information. Personal contact information does not have to be displayed in the employee directory.
You will soon receive an email message from the Workday application with step-by-step instructions for updating both your emergency contact information and your personal contact information. The five minutes you spend on this task could make a world of difference during an emergency, and I encourage all employees to make the time.
Give someone the chance to help you and your family if you need it.