Supporting your employees to get quake help

The effects of the quakes on your staff: Supporting your employees to get help

The North Canterbury earthquakes have shocked thousands of New Zealanders.

For the worst affected, it has been the shock of losing their homes and potentially their livelihoods, for others it has been the shock of experiencing yet another major earthquake and what that might mean for their future.

When people are in a state of shock, they struggle to understand and remember information. They may be told something several times and look like they are listening but won’t be able to absorb it or act on it.

Helping staff to listen to information and get the help they need is important but as an employer you can never force the issue. What you can do is repeat basic messages such as “it’s okay to ask for help” and point people to places where you know they’ll get the help they need.

In talking to North Canterbury business owners this week, I discovered that many were not aware of the financial assistance being offered by major banks for themselves and their staff. All are willing to discuss re-negotiation of mortgage payments for those affected by the quakes and many are offering a mortgage holiday for a few months. There are links below to the services they are offering.

Some excellent helplines have also been set up for people with earthquake concerns. The numbers are below.

Right now, we can’t assume people know what to do before, during or after an earthquake but we can help them to get the best information to prepare for any more earthquakes, to stay safe and recover from these shaky times.

Government Helpline on 0800 779 997
Earthquake Support Line 0800 777 846
http://www.anz.co.nz/about-us/corporate-responsibility/community/microsite/financial-hardship/home/
https://www.asb.co.nz/page/earthquake-special-assistance.html
https://www.bnz.co.nz/contact/earthquake-update
https://www.kiwibank.co.nz/earthquake-support/
https://www.westpac.co.nz/who-we-are/find-contact-us/earthquake-update/

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