Leading the Way: What to do when key employees leave

Imagine if two of your most important employees simply stopped showing up for work. What if one of your top executive suddenly “dies with a secret”?

I thought about this when 20 Quaker Oats employees recently won the lottery.

So what do you do? How transferable is the institutional and operational knowledge in your organization?

What's your Plan B?

Every employee's job should be transferable or duplicative. Organizations ought to have backup plans for every function and operation.

Having a Plan B can provide continuity and uninterrupted service as well as a foundation for leadership succession.

Think about these questions:

•  Who are the key employees in your organization? What mission-critical roles do they have? Is this documented? What is the backup plan for their sudden or even planned absence?
•  Organizations often have several strategic contacts - internal and external - that are critical for your day-to-day business functions and operations. Who are these people? What roles do they serve? Is there a backup for these strategic partners? In the absence of a key employee, how do find out who these people are and how to reach them?
•  In the case of an emergency, what critical files and information - electronic or hard-copy - need to be accessed, gathered and passed along? Where are these files stored? Are they backed-up anywhere? Who can access those files? Do you have redundant access?
•  What uniquely critical procedures, practices, paperwork and protocol are required to run your business, complete transactions, comply with company or institutional regulations and manage day-to-day operations? Who performs these activities, and is there a backup plan for these business elements?

If yours is like most organizations, parts of these backup plans exist but are half-baked. So here are three simple steps you can take to begin to manage unexpected changes.

1 Identify critical individuals, roles and responsibilities, then assign appropriate people to cross-train for these important functions.

Visit this practice every six months.

2 Establish a disciplined backup plan for company data. Require regular, off-site backup of employee computer files, company records, budgets, correspondence, receipts and procedures.

Have provisions for redundant access to this stored information.

3 Document all step-by-step practices and procedures for critical business functions and operations. This documentation should be easy to find, accessible by designated backup personnel, and be easy to follow.

Instructions also should be understandable, and have clear, measurable outcomes. Include necessary forms with timelines, and appropriate reference and contact information.

Done right, backup plans can be a road map in times of crisis. In addition, they can help with job descriptions and augment business plans.

And finally, having backup plans are a helpful foundation for Six-Sigma and Lean initiatives.

Don't be unprepared if someone gets hit by a bus, dies with a secret, wins the lottery or simply retires. Institutionalize and reinforce backup plans with thoroughly cross-trained employees.

Having a culture of full disclosure and documentation for critical functions and procedures will help maintain operational stability and continuity when an emergency happens.

Oh! And one last benefit: Having things under control with a cross-trained staff and a strategic backup plan allows the boss - you - to take a long, worry-free vacation.

Wow! Imagine that!