Think back to your first days on the job....
The learning curve was so steep! Everything was new and there was so much information to absorb and apply. For many CALP staff, not only did you have to learn about the Guidelines and programs you were required to offer, but you also had to oversee your new organization as a whole. Sometimes the Board would be able to provide the answers you needed, but there always seemed to be something that fell through the cracks.
Good risk management policy tells us that it is important for organizations to have key information in one place so that, in times of staff change or emergency, someone can step into a roll and keep things running smoothly. This can seem overwhelming, and often gets pushed to the back burner as more pressing issues need to be addressed. Unfortunately, that can result in it never happening and boards and staff are left needlessly floundering.
In an organization I used to work with, we’d often talk about the “Hit by a Bus” binder. The binder was a place where the collective wisdom was pulled together so that if something happened today the organization could forge ahead tomorrow. It took me resigning my position, to actually realize the number of pieces of information needed to run an organization and how much of it was stored in my head.
This Continuity Checklist was developed to help staff &/or boards think about all these bits of information, and begin to keep them in one place. Take a moment today to check out this tool.
I would encourage every CALP to look at this checklist and begin pulling these pieces together. This is just a place to start; add to it and make it effective for your own organization. Save yourselves, and those that follow in your footsteps, hours of frustration and stress. Think about how much smoother staff transitions could be.
Don’t put it off any longer, you never know when you’re organization is going to need it! Click here to access the checklist and get started!
Val Rathjen
Regional Support Staff
East-Central Alberta