Creative Brief

The future is unpredictable. We all will likely face a crisis that impacts our business, teams, communities, and ourselves. The spectrum of a potential crisis is wide, including medical, security, data, weather, economic, societal, etc. This is why preparing for a crisis is critical to personal safety and business continuity.

In May 2023, Saunders offered a comprehensive, in-person Crisis Management Training designed to build awareness and skills around this crucial topic. A collaboration of the Marketing, People Services, Learning and Development, and Safety Departments, this training was developed using FEMA’s Tabletop Methods and from previous events faced by Saunders. Attendees learned how to:

• correctly recognize what is considered an incident and what is considered a crisis,
• identify where to find crisis management resources, and
• understand and confidently execute their role and responsibility in a crisis.

The training informed attendees of the steps to take in a crisis's first critical minutes and hours. Then, groups of 8-10 set up mock jobsites using aerial photo posters and construction-themed toys. Teams were given scenarios (e.g., active shooter, site fire, worker fatality) to work through and write down their response plans. During the exercise, mock representatives from first responders, OSHA, media, and Saunders executives visited each group to provide added challenge and context to the situation. All groups reported their scenario and responses in a post-exercise debrief.

To ensure full retention, all teams were required to conduct a full mock crisis drill on their jobsites and offices within 90 days of the training.