We Stand Strong During Hurricane Harvey

 

 

 

This week has been absolutely devastating for Houston, TX.  Hurricane Harvey has affected over 100,000 homes and cost the lives of at least 30 Texans, maybe more. Our team at NextOp, Inc. that consists of veterans from the Army, Marines Corps, and Navy acted quickly.  Everyone was prepared and ready by Thursday night for Harvey. We made sure that everyone in our team understood that while physical resources can be replaced, our people cannot.  During the storm, our message to them was simple: Stay Alert, Stay Safe and Stay Connected.  With the many resources, there were no reasons why anyone would have taken unnecessary risks or not stay connected.

Fortunately, only a few members of our team were impacted by the flooding, but our team of veterans could not and would not stay home while our community suffered.  In the aftermath of the storm, NextOp’s leadership decided to split the team in to two.   One team would keep NextOp operational while the other team would help Houston rebuild.  The NextOp Talent Acquisition team lead by me, has been working very long hours to keep our nonprofit veteran recruiting firm actively engaged with our veterans and our corporate partners. We have set up Storm Harvey focused messages to our stakeholders on our website and our social media platforms. We wanted to make sure that all of our stakeholders know that NextOp is resilient, strong, and committed to help Houston rebuild.
 
The NextOp Disaster Relief Team lead by John Boerstler, NextOp’s Executive director, with several of our staff and veteran alumni is collaborating with other organizations such as Combined Arms to help the Houston Community.  The last couple of days they have focused their efforts on removing furniture, drywall, and flooring for our neighbors.
 

What I have learned during this crisis is that there is no one perfect way to handle a crisis.  Every organization naturally reacts based on their company culture.  Consequently, every organization must prepare differently.  The emergency plan must align with their company culture and vision. It is the company culture and vision that are responsible for driving their employee’s actions.  We acted naturally based on NextOp’s core values of commitment, integrity, and advocacy. These are the values that unites all of us each and every day. 
 
Finally, I am very thankful to SHRM and my #HRTribe for keeping me in their thoughts and prayers.  Your support has really driven me to stay committed, connected and courageous in all things Human Resources related. So thank you!
 
 
The SHRM Blog does not accept solicitation for guest posts.
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