On Wednesday, April 27, Lot Sixteen Vice President Jennifer Storipan participated in a panel discussion hosted by FiscalNote, a software, data, and media company, entitled “Government Affairs During a Global Crisis: How to Prepare & Stay Engaged.”
‍

Jennifer, who was joined by other experts in the field of politics and government affairs, drew on her prior experience as the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration during the catastrophic earthquakes that rocked the island in early 2020. Jennifer and the other panelists discussed how to make decisions when forced to act with incomplete information, and lessons learned from past crises to help prepare for the future.
‍

The consensus of the panel was that preparation and equipping your team with all relevant and available information they might need before a crisis was the key to a successful response during a crisis. By “doing your homework” in advance, government affairs professionals can be ready to quickly build consensus, share information and anticipate questions before they’re asked.
‍

When the southwestern part of Puerto Rico suffered a wave of earthquakes in early 2020, the island was already struggling to recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The earthquakes brought more destruction, population displacement and power outages. Here in Washington, D.C, Jennifer found herself at the center of inquiries from both Congress and the Administration as to what the island required to meet both the immediate and longer-term needs of the people who were affected. To respond effectively, Jennifer needed real-time information from her colleagues on the ground to help interpret their needs and advocate for the tools they needed to expedite the recovery process.
‍

During a crisis, continuity of operations is key, yet the crisis may be the major hurdle in your employees’ ability to continue working effectively and efficiently. Having a plan in place to allow for workers to telework, universally familiar post-Covid, was not something that the Government of Puerto Rico had formalized previously and presented a steep learning curve for many on the island in the early days of the pandemic. It required the leadership of government agencies to balance emergency preparedness with ensuring the relevant protocols were in place to maintain accountability.
‍

Another effective tool companies can utilize during a crisis - whether the crisis is internal to their company or is external and felt across industry — is an established employee engagement program. For businesses with employees across multiple states or regions, having a well-trained and prepared workforce that can trigger a series of actions (i.e.: calls to Congress, sending of letters) the moment a crisis strikes. With this course of action, businesses are able to quickly mobilize and utilize their most compelling advocates — their employees — from the moment trouble strikes. If this sounds like something that your business could benefit from, you can view the entire recording of the panel discussion here.