Disaster Management of Human Resources

Revision with unchanged content. There is much research in the field of disaster studies, specifically in the areas of disaster response planning, disaster awareness and preparedness and emergency management. However, there are relatively few studies that have examined the employee disaster effects in the workplace from the organization’s perspective and that have also addressed how organizations respond to those affects. If the Hurricanes of 2005 did nothing else, they educated the public about the huge dependence on agencies such as FEMA and The Red Cross in regards to aid and rebuilding after disaster. But, what about the reliance of individuals on their individual workplaces and the effects disasters and disaster related employee behavior can have on the workplace? The workplace can surely play a significant role in returning lives to some sense of normalcy and employers must recognize the importance of identifying and dealing with the effects of such disasters on their employees and ultimately on their bottom line. In this research the effects of disasters on employee behavior in the workplace from the organization’s perspective and the related post disaster adjustments, allowances and accommodations organizations make as a result of disaster in order to facilitate the work organization and it’s employees return to normal functioning and productivity are examined.