Disaster In The Gulf
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One company's story of implementing their Disaster Recovery plan during hurrican Katrina. It's Oreck and since they were hosted by DirecNic, the famous data center and blog that were running throughout the disaster, it's an interesting read. There were mistakes made and they were slow to recover for various reasons. While not as detailed as I'd like, it's a good look at the potential things to think about in DR planning.
The one thing that I really liked about this article is the first lesson learned: People first. That's something more corporations should take to heart. The people are what keep the company alive and growing, not the systems. And the people are not "resources" or "numbers" or anything but living, breathing people that have their own problems and joys outside of work. Don't expect that your people will put the business first in a disaster. I've informed more than a few people that if a major disaster hits, don't be expecting me to come to work first. My family and house come ahead of everything else.
Everyone is replaceable, but not necessarily in the short term. And losing a few people can easily start a domino effect as work is shifted onto others. Keep that in mind and work to hire the right people and treat them well. And do your best to keep them.
And don't penalize them. Andy and I have talked about this with the hurricane issues in Florida. Most of them don't cause damage or interrupt the business itself. You still have power, no evacuations, etc. But there is an increase in absenteeism; people have to take case of their own issues, board up houses, get supplies, etc. They have to prepare and that's not their fault.
Most places have some sort of disaster that can hit and companies in those areas should include planning to help employees cope. In Florida, hurricanes are a yearly occurrance, so why not make some plans to help employees get ready for them or deal with the preparations. Those investments will pay themselves back many times over with grateful, harder working, and more loyal employees.
Employees less likely to leave you in a lurch.
Steve Jones
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I'm from the uk, and find interest in noting the differences in usage and spelling etc with the language that is common with the usa. Indeed i think i'm possibly even learning how to spell american. I also wonder upon how many of these differences were decision based, and how many were due to chinese whisper effects becoming the norm.
Anyway, so what is the answer with the lurch. I've always known of this idiom using the definite article, as in left in the lurch. So are there now more lurches, and if so does this increase your chance of being left, with the indefinite article, in a lurch.
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This is so true Steve. It not only costs a lot to replace a person, a company can create a lot of backlash for employee "abuse". Additionally, companies need to recognize that their employees are their customers and their best form of marketing. When I am pleased with my employment status I am much more likely to spread the word about how great this company is that I work for. If they lay me off just to save money then I am more likely to make disparaging remarks about them to my friends and neighbors. The people running the corporations really need to get together and see what they are doing to the economy and themselves with all the layoffs that are going on. Lowering the average salary by getting cheap labor and sending professionals to work at Wal-Mart hurts the economy and reduces the tax base in the U.S.; both of these things affect the amount of money that companies (big an small) can earn.
[font="Tahoma"]Bryant E. Byrd, BSSE MCDBA MCAD[/font]
Business Intelligence Administrator
MSBI Administration Blog -
In response to qed3, I found this definition for 'lurch':
Idiom:
in the lurch
- "In a difficult or embarrassing position."
This is as opposed to a 'larch' which is:
"Any of several deciduous, coniferous trees of the genus Larix, having needlelike leaves clustered on short shoots and heavy, durable wood"
...and also is featured prominently in several Monty Python's Flying Circus sketches.
My hovercraft is full of eels.
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...which is the same definition as on the link of my reply.
Did you try the link, or was there some other trouble with accessing the reasoning for my reply.
Voice Over (and CAPTION: )'EPISODE 12B' 'HOW TO RECOGNISE DIFFERENT TREES FROM QUITE A LONG WAY AWAY'
'NO. 1'
'THE LARCH'
Photo of a larch tree. Voice Over The larch. The larch. Courtroom: a judge sitting at higher level and a prisoner in the dock. Judge Mr Larch, you heard the case for the prosecution. Is there anything you wish to say before I pass sentence? -
I'm truly sorry, I did not recognize the link as such and therefore did not click on it.
This may or may not be due to the fact that my hovercraft is full of eels.
BTW - I live in South Florida and have never heard of the 'Chinese Whisper Effect'. Do I need to worry that this could cause more hurricanes for us?
(Can anyone tell that I'm glad it's Friday?)
My hovercraft is full of eels.
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np, though u had me worried...
nice phrase book u have...
chinese whispers - essentially repetition with distortion... a worrying phenomena you might think, but it's how evolution allegedly works... whether the distortions are randomly introduced or not... tehehe...
(well the clue is gonna help...)
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Jumping in here...
Well - I' m from neither here nor there but have long ceased to lament the misuse/abuse/demise of the English language - sadly enough qed3 - it was after I made the appalling discovery that the country that taught us (Indians) English is now seemingly rife with people who've adopted the "user-friendly" American in exchange for the rigours and constraints of their own tongue.
You need look no further than the apostrophe...from the plural of dog which is written as dog's to the complete disregard in distinguishing between your and you're, this site alone is teeming with examples like these - and all unfortunately, made by your fellow-countrymen!
Given all this, I'd say that there're definitely many more lurches than ever before - probably lurking - which's why you may have missed them - but just look around - keep your eyes and ears open - and you'll find that the "language that is common with the usa" is but a hair's-breadth away from becoming the "language that is common with us" (a is missing for an indefinite length of time as it has gone to keep one of the lurches company)...
**ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI !!!** -
Well then, I for one am certainly relieved. If a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa can cause a hurricane, I can only imagine what devastation a billion chinese whispering altogether at once might bring about.
And Sushila? How about the use of 'it's' and 'its' or not knowing the difference between to and too? It drives me crazy too, but I've long since given up on complaining about it. Errors and typos have become so common in our local periodicals that I hardly notice them now.
But at least they're not typing in l33t sp34k. Yet.
There is also, of course the Addams Family Lurch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lurch) as well, but that's another story.
"Dinsdale!"
My hovercraft is full of eels.
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Unlike you sswords - I continue complaining (must be either my nature or the fact that I'm female ..
)As for "chinese whispers" we used to play this in school in India - everyone would sit around in a circle and one person would think of a word and whisper it to the person on the right...and so on...till it came back full circle as a completely new mutated word...great fun and one I'd forgotten about till it was brought up here...
**ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI !!!** -
...all unfortunately, made by your fellow-countrymen! All as in only, or as in all also ?
And alas alack i have to admit i am ever yet discovering i'm ignorant on subtleties of spelling, meaning or usage of uk english.
Apostrophied dog's... sounds pretty painful to me...
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was going to edit my post on that one but just got lazy...
"all" as in "all also"...it is forgivable if made by an American but im(not so h)o - punishable by death if made by an Englishman!
btw: dog's are not the only ones apostrophied...anything/body that/who is unfortunate enough to be "more than one" suffers the same fate...OFF with their heads, I say"...
**ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI !!!**
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