IS YOUR PAYROLL READY FOR A HURRICANE? A BUSINESS OWNER'S HURRICANE PAYROLL GUIDE

If you own or manage a business along the Gulf Coast, you know hurricane preparation is about more than boarding windows and filling the gas tank.

You also have employees, customers, vendors—and a business to keep running.

One question that often gets overlooked until the last minute is:

What’s your payroll plan for a hurricane?

When a storm threatens Mobile, Baldwin County and the surrounding Gulf Coast, power outages, internet disruptions, office closures and transportation issues can make normal business operations difficult. But your employees still have bills to pay, and they still need to know when and how they will receive their pay.

That’s why having a payroll continuity plan before the storm arrives is so important.

1. Know Your Payroll Deadlines Before the Storm

The first step is simple: know when payroll information needs to be submitted.

If a hurricane is approaching, don't wait until the last possible moment to submit hours or approve payroll.

The earlier your payroll provider receives the information they need, the more time there is to address unexpected problems.

At LNJ Employer Services, Stacy encourages clients to submit payroll as early as possible when severe weather is approaching. That extra breathing room can make a significant difference if conditions deteriorate.

2. Have a Backup Plan for Power and Internet Outages

A hurricane can take out more than electricity.

Businesses may lose internet service, phone service or access to the systems they normally rely on to submit payroll.

That's why business owners should know:

• How will payroll information be submitted if the office loses power?

• What happens if the internet goes down?

• Who should employees or managers contact?

• Does your payroll provider have a backup plan?

• How quickly can you communicate if normal processes aren't available?

A payroll plan shouldn't depend entirely on everything working perfectly.

3. Ask Your Payroll Provider About Their Hurricane Readiness

This is a conversation worth having before hurricane season—not while a storm is approaching.

At LNJ Employer Services, hurricane readiness includes backup resources designed to keep payroll moving even when normal operations are disrupted.

LNJ has a generator and a separate mobile hotspot to provide backup power and internet connectivity.

In addition, LNJ processes payroll directly through its banking partner, which has contingency plans and satellite offices available should its downtown Mobile location become unable to operate.

The goal is simple:

Keep payroll moving.

4. Communicate With Your Payroll Partner Early

If your business loses power or internet access, don't assume there's nothing you can do.

Contact your payroll provider as soon as possible.

At LNJ, clients are encouraged to reach out if they cannot submit payroll through their normal process. Together, LNJ and the client can determine the best way to get the necessary payroll information submitted.

That personal communication is especially valuable when circumstances are changing quickly.

5. Make Sure Your Employee Information Is Accessible

A hurricane is not the time to discover that important payroll information exists only on a computer sitting in an office without power.

Make sure you know where you can access the information necessary to process payroll and who has authorization to provide it.

Your payroll continuity plan should identify the people responsible for:

• Gathering employee hours

• Approving payroll

• Communicating with your payroll provider

• Handling questions or problems

• Providing backup authorization if the primary contact is unavailable

A few minutes of planning now can prevent significant stress later.

6. Think About Your Employees, Too

For business owners, payroll isn't simply a financial transaction.

It's someone's paycheck.

Your employees may be dealing with their own hurricane preparations—securing their homes, caring for children or pets, evacuating or dealing with power outages.

Knowing that payroll is being handled can provide one less thing for them to worry about.

That's why payroll continuity should be part of your overall hurricane preparedness plan.

7. Don't Wait Until the Storm Is at the Door

The Gulf Coast knows how quickly conditions can change.

If a hurricane is approaching, preparation time becomes limited very quickly.

Take a few minutes now to ask:

What's our payroll plan if we lose power?

What's our plan if the internet goes down?

Who is responsible for submitting payroll?

Who do we contact if our normal process doesn't work?

And perhaps most importantly:

Does our payroll partner have a plan, too?

Payroll Is More Than Processing a Paycheck

At LNJ Employer Services, payroll is about more than processing numbers.

It's about helping business owners navigate the unexpected and making sure their employees are paid accurately and on time—even when Mother Nature makes doing business more difficult.

That's what having a payroll partner means.

Because when a hurricane is headed toward the Gulf Coast, you have enough to worry about.

Payroll shouldn't be one of them.

Need a Payroll Partner With a Plan?

If you're looking for personalized payroll processing and HR support for your business, contact LNJ Employer Services to schedule a free consultation.

Putting the Human in Human Resources.