India Inc should develop smarter ways to deal with natural calamities
By Bakul Gala
Video and pix courtesy: https://donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in/
Kerala floods, like all other earlier calamities that have occurred on the Indian soil and sea, have not only exposed the State’s unpreparedness, but it has also the way Indian corporates handle such a crisis, time and again.
As a corporate PR guy, all through
these years my clients have at best written cheques, at worst asked me to get
them mentioned in CSR stories and on the CNBC scroll. To the extent that in one
of the monthly review meetings with my ex client, my agency then got negative
marks for not being able to garner headlines the way other corporates managed
to get. Bhala, UskiKameez Meri Kameezsehjyaadasafedkaise syndrome?
I call it: Vulture PR.
Are there any lessons that corporate
India has learnt from the Kerala disaster? What’s there a way forward? Or were
we just going to conduct ourselves the way we had been doing thus far?
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| Water, water allover. Nowhere to go |
Well, I strongly feel that Indian
companies need to clearly understand a few things:
1. Now, more than ever, the pressure is on the corporate world to step up
and aid in relief efforts in India. Why? Simply because, costs of dealing with natural
disaster costs are shooting while government coffers are shrinking. By some
estimates, in the last 25 years, the costs for overcoming natural disasters has
gone up by a whopping 600 - 700%, after accounting for inflation. Kerala
requires Rs 20,000 crore to rebuild itself whereas access to funds has barely
touched Rs 1,500 – 2,000 crore. So, there is a huge gap that requires to be
bridged and only our corporate world can take that kind of leap of faith.
2. Having a disaster relief programme in place helps not only the victims
but the brand as well. It shows the company’s commitment to corporate social
responsibility and the much required passion quotient.
It goes without saying that
Governments and corporates will have to find ways to jointly organize rescue
have public and private rescue efforts coordinate more closely to put as many
resources as possible toward rescue and recovery efforts. A PPP model for a
different purpose.
There may not be a template list of
disaster victims’ requirements. At the same, there is no mechanism to keep
track of what is available with companies and where. Besides, relief
organizations, stretched thin by the severity and the massive scope of any
disaster, are largely unable to take advantage of non-monetary offers because
they don’t have the staff available to evaluate or accept resources from
non-traditional actors in relief.
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| Floods leave a trail of destruction across Kerala |
But let’s ask ourselves a tough
question: Does an Indian corporate even know what needs to be done during
natural or man-made disaster? Is there any structure to it? Further, is there
any Disaster Relief Department (DRD) or at least a DRD programme under its CSR
department?
Allow me to present a certain
plausible structure that India’s top 1000 companies can follow:
ü Donation(fund) management
o Streamline communication between requesters and donors, i.e. employees.
Funds to be deposited directly into a charity's bank account.
ü Sponsorships
o Create a comprehensive corporate giving platform to manage sponsorships.
Speed is of essence - implement disaster relief and employee relief programs in
less than 24 hours. Synchronize these efforts and channelize these resources
towards sponsoring programs that will further garner funds
ü Item requests and donations
o Manage in-kind giving and item donation requests and possibly give
donation certificates
ü Volunteer
o Allow your employees to do their bit. A company's identity is not only
defined by its business practices and products, but also by the conduct of its
employees.Maruti Suzuki donated Rs 2 crore while its employees donated Rs 1.5
crore is a good example but a set of Good Samaritan bank employees who launched
the private rescue effort is a classic example of employee volunteering during
trying times
ü Matching Gifts
ü Rupees for Doers
o Reward and motivate your employees by implementing ‘Rupees for Doers’
programme. As employees complete volunteer hours, they clock revenues. Both,
hours and monies, should be allowed to be logged in for redeeming it when the
need arises
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| The author, a Communication veteran |
Concurs my media veteran friend B N
Kumar, “Another thing which I strongly recommend is the pooling-in of resources
which can be effectively done at the level of business and industry forums such
as FICCI and Assocham. Or an umbrella body of all federations or associations?”
Through an effective disaster relief
programme, you can change public opinion about your brand, reach the target
audiences on an emotional level and act as a role model for other corporate
entities.
