Preparis Case Study: Steptoe & Johnson LLP

More than 1100 employees confident in their preparedness

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Law firms are people-intensive businesses. With approximately 1100 employees spread out over nine offices in nine different cities and four countries, Washington, DC-based Steptoe & Johnson LLP is particularly concerned about its employees’ safety.

Business Challenge

A seeming escalation of global threats from natural disasters, terrorism, pandemics and workplace violence urged Steptoe to be sure it was doing all it could to ensure that its employees were prepared in the face of any emergency.

Planning for continuity of business operations had been undertaken for years, and the operations teams and consultants had been working diligently on updates to business continuity and disaster recovery plans. As it was moving from paper to digital systems, Steptoe realized that there must be a better way.

Margaret Cameron Loukas, Senior Director of Human Resources for Steptoe & Johnson LLP, is constantly concerned about the safety and security of Steptoe employees. “Since 2000, we have been experiencing rapid growth,” said Cameron Loukas. “Each of our offices needed an emergency plan which addressed its particular safety concerns. For example, our LA offices are in an earthquake zone, while our New York office is located in a major skyscraper with multiple internal and external concerns. Timing was critical with various threats on the rise.”

The team wanted to be sure to consolidate earlier efforts, taking advantage of what it had already learned, while utilizing new technologies. “We really wanted to convert to a more sophisticated platform that offered in-depth training to our 100+ crisis team members.”

Ms. Cameron Loukas and the company’s Chief Operating Officer identified several desired features:

• A comprehensive, user-friendly system.
• A hosted solution for global access.
• Up-to-date information on a wide variety of threats, from workplace violence to natural disasters and pandemics.
• Access to experts for answers on site-specific concerns.
• Text-message and email-based communication tools.
• Easy administration.

The Solution

In May 2008, Cameron Loukas found a new portal-based solution called Preparis. Preparis required no software maintenance because it is a hosted, Software-as-a-Service solution. It allowed Steptoe to establish a single, customized portal that all 1100+ employees could access for training as well as for information on appropriate responses in case of an emergency. “Preparis was a great fit,” continued Cameron Loukas, “especially the text message feature. On 9/11, we learned that it is not always possible to rely on cell-phone communication to reach all of your employees.”

The Preparis roll-out was done in stages, spearheaded by Katie Santoro in Human Resources. Katie believes that a well-trained crisis team can make a huge difference in how well prepared you are to face a threat. “Preparis has encouraged us to have a comprehensive plan that ensures that all our employees are knowledgeable and prepared for emergency situations.”

The Benefit: A Confident Workforce

The objective of this ongoing training and information dissemination is for Steptoe’s employees to have the confidence and understanding to respond appropriately in the case of an emergency. They already feel that they are accomplishing that goal.

“We’ve actually received commendations on our preparedness,” said Cameron Loukas. “When you receive an award from building management of the tallest building in LA for outstanding fire evacuation procedures, you know you’re doing something right.”

Steptoe says it appreciates the email updates from Preparis’ team of experts, the X-Force. The Alerts covered H1N1 in the midst of the scare, provided insight on travel precautions during the terrorist attempt in December 2009, added understanding during the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, and instilled overall confidence in the program throughout the Steptoe workforce.

“Safety can never be 100% guaranteed,” offered Cameron Loukas. “But by providing our workforce with the best tools and training from a trusted resource like Preparis, we hope to significantly enhance their ability to navigate through virtually any threat or disaster. Our employees mean the world to us – and a global workforce presents challenges which Preparis helps to meet.”