Kronos® leads discussion on stay-awake workplace issue of developing crisis management plans

Business Wire, Oct 17, 2006

Creating and implementing business continuity plans hot topic at KronosWorks([TM])

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Yesterday at KronosWorks([TM]), a room full of executives from a variety of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, heard from a panel of authorities on how to develop and implement business continuity plans. Topics addressed during the session included preparing for natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and biological threats such as the Avian flu. The panelists spoke from experience, not just theory, on how to overcome both anticipated and unanticipated issues of creating and implementing business continuity and disaster recovery plans. They also highlighted strategies organizations can adopt to manage a crisis situation.

Attendees joined AMR Research, the City of Orlando, Ochsner Health System, the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), and Kronos([R]) Incorporated (Nasdaq: KRON) for this interactive panel discussion moderated by Kronos. The panel of experts featured:

* AMR Research Co Hussain Mooraj, research director;

* City of Orlando Co John Matelski, chief security officer and deputy chief information officer;

* Ochsner Health System Co Randy Langford, director of physician compensation and payroll; and

* SHRM Co Ray Venero, director of administrative services.

Addressing stay-awake workplace issues

SHRM's Venero framed the session by discussing the crisis management toolkit, which includes everything organizations need to address when developing a business continuity plan. Once Venero set the stage, Matelski discussed how the City of Orlando leveraged these tactics during last year's hurricane season. He discussed best practices in dealing with a crisis situation and also highlighted important lessons learned.

Langford also spoke from experience and shared how Ochsner Health System survived a devastating natural disaster in the U.S. Co hurricane Katrina. He discussed managing the workforce, the single most important element of a crisis situation. Randy outlined how Ochsner prepared its workforce so it could handle the crisis situation, which allowed the organization to feel a sense of normalcy and rise above the chaos.

AMR Research's Mooraj concluded the session by discussing proactive measures organizations can adopt immediately to prepare for the threat of the Avian flu. He also highlighted recent research from AMR Research, which illustrates the crippling effect a pandemic could have on the nation's supply chain. All emphasized the importance of being able to effectively track, deploy, and manage a highly productive and focused workforce as a part of their programs.

Thought-provoking discussion

During the interactive panel discussion, the audience responded to a series of polling questions.

Attendees agreed that developing and implementing a crisis management plan is top of mind at their organizations, 57 percent have a plan in place. But, only 21 percent of attendees were very confident in their organization's ability to recover after a crisis situation. A more startling finding is that 44 percent of the attendees at the session stated that their organization has not proactively communicated to employees what to do if a crisis situation occurred. On a more promising note, as a result of what attendees learned from the panelists, 88 percent agreed they are likely to propose action within their organization.

This announcement was made from KronosWorks, the industry's largest venue for exchanging ideas in how to effectively manage the workforce. KronosWorks is taking place this week in Orlando.

About Kronos Incorporated

Kronos Incorporated empowers organizations around the world to effectively manage their workforce. At Kronos, we are experts who are solely focused on delivering software and services that enable organizations to reduce costs, increase productivity, improve employee satisfaction, and ultimately enhance the level of service they provide. Kronos serves customers in more than 50 countries through its network of offices, subsidiaries, and distributors. Widely recognized as a market and thought leader in managing the workforce, Kronos has unrivaled reach with more than 30 million people using a Kronos solution every day. Learn more about Kronos at www.kronos.com.

2006 Kronos Incorporated. Kronos and the Kronos logo are registered trademarks and KronosWorks is a trademark of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. All other product and company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.