When extreme weather strikes, no single function can manage the aftermath alone; the response requires cross-functional coordination, and learning and development leaders are uniquely positioned to build it.
As organizations face an era of accelerating climate disruption, many have begun to recognize extreme weather as a workforce risk. But now, some are asking who, inside a company, is actually responsible for responding?
In a new article, "Workforce Resilience Isn't a Solo Act — It's a Team Sport," David Leathers, Director of Climate & Extreme Weather at the Health Action Alliance, and Steven Levine, Co-CEO of the Health Action Alliance, argue that the answer can't live in just one department. When a hurricane knocks out power or when wildfire smoke blankets a region, the impact touches employee benefits, mental health, operations, communications, and talent strategy all at once. Without deliberate coordination, fragmentation between teams and their response becomes the default.
Building on Leathers’ previous piece, "The Workforce Risk L&D Isn't Talking About — But Should Be," Leathers and Levine argue that workforce resilience requires organizations to assemble a cross-functional team before a crisis forces one together. Organizations that weather disruption best aren't the ones that react fastest, but the ones that already have the right people, plans, and practices in place.
Leathers and Levine also offer four concrete ways L&D teams can lead the way. Read the full article in Training Industry to learn how to create a shared plan and best prepare.
Want to help your company adapt to today’s climate conditions and invest in human and business resilience? Sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay up to date on the latest events, resources, and recommendations from the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health.
The National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health is a group of business, health, and climate leaders who share a mission to protect workers from the health risks posed by extreme weather.
The Commission was created by the Health Action Alliance in partnership with Mercer and with strategic input from the CDC Foundation. Additional support for the initiative is being provided by The Hartford. Learn more at ClimateHealthCommission.org.
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