Disaster Recovery

Peloton CEO John Foley’s departure is latest example of founders hitting a wall during crisis

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 11:04:32 -0500

Peloton Interactive founder and CEO John Foley will hand over the reins to a more seasoned executive, the company said Tuesday, in a move that thrilled investors tired of the incessant string of crises hammering the once high-flying connected fitness company. Peloton shares rose...

How comfortable is your organization with making decisions in the face of uncertainty?

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 17:08:36 -0500

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 200,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our newsletter. How comfortable is your organization with making decisions in the face of uncertainty?...

Bankrupt and Facing a $100 million Lawsuit, This Entrepreneur Learned the Power of Grit

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 16:26:39 -0500

There’s a moment during a long distance run when the body begins to beg for mercy. It’s then, as the muscle cramps and exhaustion take hold, that runners have a choice to make: quit or keep going. For Chuck Goetschel, an extreme runner and serial entrepreneur, that “hitting the wall” feeling has become an integral part of his success both on and off the racetrack...

Bedbugs are giving Airbnb users headaches… and itchy bites

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 04:00:00 -0400

Terri was fast asleep when her phone rang. It was midnight on a Tuesday in early May. Despite the hour, she answered the call because it was from a guest at her Airbnb rental. The news she got was alarming...

A huge asteroid flew very close to Earth last week. How did we miss it?

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 00:00:00 -0400

The asteroid managed to get within just 73,000 kilometers (45,360 miles) of our planet without anyone noticing. The miss lends a new sense of urgency to preparations for a potential collision one day...

Former Cop-Turned-CEO On Improving Workplace Safety

Thu, 16 May 2019 03:00:00 -0400

It’s 2 a.m. My partner and I, dressed in plain clothes, pull up to our favorite convenience store in need of a cup of hot coffee. We walk in, and...

Another Body Found at Illinois Factory; Death Toll Reaches 3

Wed, 08 May 2019 01:00:00 -0400

Search and recovery personnel found the body of another worker Sunday in the rubble of a northern Illinois silicone factory that exploded and burst into flames two days earlier, bringing the death toll to three employees with...

When Masters Of The Universe Fall--How Facebook Committed The 7 Deadly Sins Of Crisis Management

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Wall Street's Investment Bankers used to be called the Masters of the Universe, but that seems so last millennium now. As the mantle of unbridled self-confidence and ego has moved westward, many new "Tech Masters" have surpassed their predecessors in over-confidence, over-estimation of how powerful they are, and in how badly they can get things wrong. Crisis, of course, ensues...

Lessons Learned From The 2008 Financial Crisis

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 08:00:00 -0500

The very idea that Lehman Brothers could go under was unthinkable-until it happened. Sheer unpreparedness for Lehman's collapse threw everyone-from C-suite leaders and directors to entry level employees and interns-into survive mode...

The Terrifying Science Behind California’s Massive Camp Fire

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 12:00:00 -0500

At 6:30 Thursday morning, a wildfire of astounding proportions and speed broke out in Northern California. Dubbed the Camp Fire, it covered 11 miles in its first 11 hours of life. A mile an hour might not seem fast in human terms, but...

Three Lessons In Crisis Leadership

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 12:26:00 -0400

Poor leadership is costliest during a crisis. When two security officers forcibly removed a passenger off an overbooked United Airlines flight last April, viral video footage of the incident led to widespread outrage and prompted customers to call for a boycott. Back then...

Disaster Strikes Anytime, Anywhere: Is Your Finance Department Ready?

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 08:13:00 -0400

Storms, power outages, natural disasters, IT glitches. They all mean the same thing for Finance: money and time down the drain. Every hour your systems are down equates to another hour of financial and data loss. The antidote to loss: an alert team and a solid plan. You need the fastest way to get systems back and up and running, the best way to...

Staying Compliant During Natural Disasters: Pay, Leave Questions Answered

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 06:24:05 -0400

The arrival of Hurricane Florence - and the dreaded aftermath - has a lot of employers wondering about HR challenges that come along with natural disasters. FLSA and FMLA compliance is a big concern at times like this, and employment lawyer Kara Maciel answered some common questions HR pros have when disaster strikes...

Clean. Safe. Healthy. How Does Your Facility Make It Happen?

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 08:29:17 -0400

From staying on budget and managing personnel and keeping a building safe, facility managers do it all. And when armed with tips from industry veterans at Staples Business Advantage®, they can do even more to save time and money. Cut down on labor costs Discover one change that can help you clean 2x more efficiently And more...

Can The Internet Crash? How The Unthinkable Could Happen

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 13:16:50 -0400

Maybe your spreadsheet won't load. Or Netflix gets laggy and your Wi-Fi connection stalls out. And the thought occurs, 'What if the whole internet crashed?' And once you wonder it, the thought won't go away. What is the internet anyway? A bunch of interconnected computers. Could't they crash, all at once? What would it take?...

Crisis Management In The Manufacturing Industry

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 07:05:28 -0400

Crisis management, particularly in the manufacturing sector, can make the difference between an extended and costly disruption and a quick resumption of operations. The worst-case scenario, of course, is absolute failure and this has consequences that are far-reaching, such as affecting the financial well-being of stakeholders and the loss of livelihood for one's hard-working employees. Crises can come in several guises...

Featured Webinar: How To Handle Active Shooter Situations

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 00:00:00 -0400

The Valentine's Day murder of 17 high school students and faculty in Parkland, Fla. has shocked and disturbed our nation. In today's America, mass shootings happen almost every day. And homicide is a top cause of death at work, with about 500 murders a year. "Unfortunately, 'I'm not that surprised,' is often heard after a violent attack at a workplace or school," Haley said. There are usually...

Disaster Equals Energy Plus Misinformation

Mon, 06 Aug 2018 11:01:15 -0400

In 1976 "The Failure of Foresight," a PhD thesis, was completed by the Organizational Sociologist, Barry A Turner. Two years later, this thesis became a book entitled...

How To Handle Active Shooter Situations

Fri, 03 Aug 2018 08:33:55 -0400

Active Shooters And Armed Attackers In The Workplace

Fri, 27 Apr 2018 04:45:38 -0400

Despite what the news media says, cases of workplace violence involving attacks by armed perpetrators are rare. In fact, not all subjects have used guns in these attacks; edged weapons or vehicle attacks are a concern as well. But for managers "it can't happen here" is not an effective preparation strategy. This empowering webinar offers...

Active Shooter Preparedness Plan

Fri, 06 Apr 2018 10:45:27 -0400

The brutality of armed attacks at work, church, school and elsewhere leaves people speechless, fearful and angry. But you need not feel hopeless. Mass shootings are more common than most people realize. There have been over 571 mass shootings involving the death or injury of four or more people in the past 18 months, according to The New York Times. Join former FBI terrorism expert and corporate security consultant Rob Haley to learn how to prepare for and reduce the risk of tragedy occurring at your place of business, worship or education.

3 Injured In Explosion At Vermont Aerospace Plant

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 06:51:12 -0500

Authorities say a dust collector exploded outside a Vermont aerospace plant, injuring three people. One person was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington to be treated for burns. The town police chief says...

5 Ways To Build Your Company's Defense Against A Data Breach Before It Happens

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:42:14 -0500

Suffering a data breach can be catastrophic for a company - and the people who work there. The realization that security controls have failed and the focus will now be on investigating and remediating the situation is never pleasant, but unfortunately it's becoming all too common as threats magnify. Even more disconcerting is...

Active Shooter Workplace Preparedness Planning

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 10:24:46 -0400

"Active shooter" attacks continue to grab headlines and create anxiety for us all. Recent tragedies include a hospital attack in New York, multiple killings at a UPS facility in San Francisco, and slayings at an Orlando factory and an Ohio nursing home. "It will never happen here," is not a strategy. Usually, it's NOT terrorism. In fact,...

How Hackers Broke Equifax: Exploiting A Patchable Vulnerability

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 08:42:09 -0400

Equifax's terse explanation for its mega-breach in which 143 million Americans' information was put at risk was depressingly predictable: a vulnerability in a piece of web software. What was most depressing, though, was that the flaw was patched back in March. The specific vulnerability lay in Apache Struts, a framework for creating web applications written in Java. The flaw...

Equifax Hack -- How To Protect Your Credit And Identity If Your Data Was Compromised

Thu, 14 Sep 2017 11:18:41 -0400

As widely reported, the credit reporting bureau Equifax was recently hacked. If you have a credit report, you're likely one of the 143 million Americans whose data may have been exposed, according to the Federal Trade Commission. According to Equifax, the breach lasted more than a month, from mid-May until July of this year. The hackers gained access to people's names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and even some driver's license numbers. They also got credit card numbers for 209,000 people and dispute documents with personal information for 182,000 consumers. Unfortunately,...

Irma Cuts Power To 4.7 Million, Shuts Ports, Imperils Crops

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 12:51:54 -0400

Hurricane Irma has knocked out power to at least 4.7 million customers, paralyzed tanker traffic and shut about 6,000 gasoline stations. As the storm heads up Florida's west coast, it's also threatening more than $1 billion worth of crops. NextEra Energy Inc.'s Florida Power & Light utility warned Sunday that some customers may go without power for weeks, and...

Tank Failures In Harvey Reveal Vulnerabilities In Storm

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 12:47:26 -0400

More than two dozen storage tanks holding crude oil, gasoline and other contaminants ruptured or otherwise failed when Harvey slammed into the Texas coast, spilling at least 145,000 gallons (548,868 liters) of fuel and spewing toxic pollutants into the air, according to...

This Is How To Prepare Your Workforce For A Natural Disaster

Fri, 08 Sep 2017 11:25:22 -0400

It was just weeks ago that residents of Texas and southwestern Louisiana were preparing for Hurricane Harvey's impending arrival. Now the residents of Florida are awaiting Hurricane Irma's landfall. As people take their own precautions-whether they intend to evacuate or ride it out-human resources professionals will need to...

Equifax Data Breach May Affect Nearly Half The US Population

Fri, 08 Sep 2017 11:08:19 -0400

Hackers stole a treasure trove of financial data from a top credit-reporting company, potentially exposing the personal information of roughly half the US population. Equifax said Thursday that thieves stole customer names, Social Security numbers, birthdates and addresses in a hack that stretched from mid-May and July. The data taken affected as many as 143 million people. The number of affected people is...