McKee and Guthridge scanned what advice was now available to HR professionals and found that the guides didn't deal with the human side of catastrophes. The human side requires special care, consideration, and actions outside of the processes and patterns that typically constitute disaster-preparedness. Being ready to deal with this human factor can minimise all genres of loss that an organisation may encounter.

Foreword, by Sue Meisinger, SPHR, President and CEO, Society for Human Resource Management Preface Prologue How HR Started Leading—First by Accident and Then by Design Part I: Planning for Disasters Chapter 1: Preparing to Lead in the Face of Fear Chapter 2: Developing a Business Continuity Plan That Addresses Human Issues Chapter 3: Creating Contingent HR Policies Part II: Dealing with Disasters Chapter 4: Taking Care of Employees Chapter 5: Guiding Managers and HR Staff Chapter 6: Balancing the Needs of Employees with the Need to Return to Work Chapter 7: Restabilizing Yourself and the Organization Chapter 8: Building Resiliency While Helping Hearts and Minds to Heal Chapter 9: Starting to Prepare Now—Five-Minute Planning Steps Resources Literature and Websites An Outline for Business Continuity Planning A Sample Telephone Tree A Sample Wallet Card Employee Emergency Response Procedures Suggested Actions to Take at Home Notes Acknowledgments Index About the Authors