As HR, you already know where employees live and work, what roles they hold, how they use benefits, and when they're absent. Applying that data to extreme weather readiness can help you identify which employees face the greatest risk, target resources where they're needed most, and measure whether your efforts are actually working.

This guide offers a range of strategies, from quick wins to longer-term investments, so you can start where you are and build from there.

This guide is part of The HR Leader's Guide to Extreme Weather Readiness, an Extreme Weather + Work resource designed to support a range of HR focus areas. Each guide stands alone, so whether you own one area or wear many hats, you can explore what's most relevant to your role.

Start Here

• Take a vulnerability assessment. Use the Climate Health Cost Forecaster to identify which workers face the highest weather-related health risks based on their location, job requirements, and individual vulnerabilities to enable targeted protection strategies.
• Understand who is most vulnerable based on job roles. Determine which roles involve outdoor exposure, physical labor, or essential services that require presence during extreme events.‍
• Add questions to existing surveys. Include questions about extreme weather concerns, preparedness confidence, and benefits awareness in engagement surveys or pulse checks.

Build On It

• Assess risk through publicly available data. Overlay employee home and workplace location data with publicly available extreme weather risk maps from NOAA, FEMA, and regional planning agencies to identify high-exposure populations for heat, flooding, wildfires, hurricanes, and other regional hazards.‍
  
  • FEMA National Risk Index: Identifies local hazard risk and community resilience.‍
  • U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index: Maps where extreme weather threats and social vulnerabilities overlap.‍
  • Climate Health Cost Forecaster: Projects health care cost impacts of extreme weather risks based on your workforce data and location.
• ‍Partner with other functions to assess risk. Work with functions such as risk and occupational health and safety to complete the Climate and Worker Health Scorecard. Use the tool to assess your organization’s current ability to safeguard workers from the health impacts of extreme weather, and discover new opportunities to go further. ‍
• Track benefits utilization. Monitor how workers are using your employee assistance program, telehealth, relief funds, and leave policies post-event. Low uptake could signal a communication gap; high demand could help you make the case for continued or expanded investment.‍
• Identify health-related vulnerabilities. Work with your benefits provider to analyze aggregate health data — such as age distribution, prevalence of chronic conditions, and use of medications that increase heat sensitivity — to understand which employee populations may be most at risk during extreme weather.‍
• Go beyond ZIP code analysis. Consider specific job site exposures; your headquarters might be in a low-risk area, but employees could be working in high-risk zones.‍
• Monitor absenteeism patterns. Track unplanned absences during and after extreme weather events. Look for patterns by geography, role type, and event type, then use what you learn to anticipate staffing needs and identify where your policies or benefits may need strengthening.

Lead the Field

• Use predictive workforce analytics. Use climate projections and workforce data to anticipate disruptions by geography and season, partnering with occupational health teams or experts when needed. Proactively allocate resources and communicate with at-risk employee populations.‍
• Benchmark against peers. As more companies invest in workforce resilience, look for opportunities to compare your policies and outcomes with industry peers through industry surveys, employer coalitions, or benchmarking tools built into your benefits platform.

More HR Focus Areas

This article is part of The HR Leader's Guide to Extreme Weather Readiness. Explore other focus areas:

• The Business Case
• Benefits Design
• Leave and Flexibility

More Guidance

Workforce readiness requires coordination across teams. Explore guides designed for more functions at your organization, and learn more about the Extreme Weather + Work initiative.

• Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
  Readiness strategies for OHS focus areas, including prevention, training, emergency response, and more.‍
• Extreme Weather + Work Home
  Learn how your organization can support workers before, during, and after extreme weather.

About Extreme Weather + Work

Extreme Weather + Work is an initiative of the Health Action Alliance. We bring together leaders who rarely sit in the same room and connect them with peers across industries, giving them the research and tools they need to support their people before, during, and after extreme weather.

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