CRISIS MANAGEMENT   CSR   UPS

Singapore - A number of UPS employees are currently volunteering on the grounds of Manila and Padang by providing logistics support to help relief efforts.

This is part of an initiative titled Logistics Emergency Team (LETs), which is a joint effort between logistics companies UPS, TNT and Agility. LETs is committed to conducting joint training, working together and pooling resources to be most effective in times of need.

Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation believes that in disasters, the business community can bring management skills, intellectual capital, technology, volunteers to aid in relief efforts. 

"The role of the private sector cannot be over-emphasized in disaster preparation, response and recovery," he said. 

"Businesses can respond with less red tape, move quickly, and also be there for the long-term with an understanding that a healthy community helps make healthy companies."

Furthermore, skills-based volunteering like LETs is one way businesses can match the skills of their employees with the needs of a crisis.  "We believe that the most valuable gift a company can provide, and perhaps the most powerful tool in any responsible business' toolbox, is to provide the knowledge capital of its employees," said Sternad.

However, he added that given the complexity and urgency of the efforts required in times of disaster, effective collaboration, though imperative, is too often lacking.

UPS currently has teams in Asia, Europe and the Americas regions that are able to deploy within 48-to-72 hours for three-to-six weeks in the aftermath of major natural disasters.

 

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