Extreme Behavioral Risk Management (XBRM) offers an array of consulting and training products and services designed to assist Business Continuity Planners in effectively integrating human factors into plans, policies, procedures and exercises.
XBRM gladly provides its monograph series to the professional community at no cost. Click on the title to view or download.
Type V Workplace Violence and the “New Terrorist”: Exploring the Active Shooter Threat
By: Steven Crimando, MS CHS III, and Melanie Blarth, MS
Classic workplace violence scenarios and terrorism scenarios are becoming increasingly similar. The convergences of motives and methods for extreme violence in the workplace calls for a new look at preparedness, response and recovery. The team approach may be more important than ever in confronting this evolving threat, but it may be time to revisit roles and responsibilities on these teams.
From Bourbon Street to Wall Street: Managing the Emotional Consequences of the Financial Crisis-Lessons Learned in Natural Disasters
By Steven Crimando, MA, BCETS & Cynthia Simeone, PMP, CBCP
Like natural disasters, a sudden financial crisis can result in uncertainty, loss, and anxiety about the future. Much of what is known about the emotional and behavioral response to other types of disasters can be helpful in managing the psychological consequences of the financial crisis. This paper explores the emotional and behavioral reactions common in natural and economic disasters and provides guidance in managing the emotional consequences for the individual and organization. Strategies and resources for mitigating the emotional effects of the crisis are also provided. [This paper was published in the November/December 2008 issue of Continuity Insights magazine.]
Tracking Human Factors in the Economic Crisis: Lessons for Pandemic Planning
By Steven Crimando, MA, BCETS & Cynthia Simeone, PMP, CBCP
Along human factors lines, there are significant similarities between the current global financial crisis and a pandemic disease outbreak. These similarities are particularly pronounced in the area of human factors, specifically in the psychosocial response to adverse events that involve elements of uncontrollability, unfairness and loss. As the economic situation transitions from a “sudden crisis” to “smoldering crisis”, business continuity planners and others charged with an organization’s pandemic influenza preparedness may benefit from identifying, understanding and benchmarking these dynamics to inform policies, plans and preparedness efforts for a pandemic. [This paper was published in the March/April 2009 issue of Continuity Insights magazine.]
Anticipating the Emotional and Behavioral Challenges of Pandemics and Other Complex Public Health Emergencies
By Steven Crimando, MA, BCETS
The psychological reaction to public health emergencies is complex and unlike the response to other types of disasters. Public health emergencies do not necessarily produce traumatic stress responses in affected individuals and communities. Typical post-trauma psychosocial interventions are not the appropriate approach to the psychological management of such events. Rather, these emergencies are characterized by a series of specific and predictable emotional and behavioral reactions that require a different level of understanding and management. How individuals, families and communities behave in such emergencies will either facilitate or obstruct public health and emergency management efforts. All must be cognizant of these reactions and adjust organizational strategies for health, safety and business continuity accordingly. This paper introduces evidence-informed assumptions about the emotional and behavioral challenges associated with a pandemic for the purposes of organizational continuity planning and emergency management. [This paper was published May 2009]
Psychological First Aid article from BLR’s OSHA Compliance Advisor [May 25, 2009]
When’s the last time you talked with your managers about being vigilant for signs of stress among employees they supervise? A variety of signs and symptoms can indicate that someone is having trouble coping with stress.
