When it comes to keeping an office safe, many people think about locks on the doors or installing a commercial security alarm. While these steps are important for protecting against intruders and break-ins, they’re only part of the bigger picture. One of the most important (and often overlooked) parts of office safety is having a solid emergency plan — and practicing it regularly.
You can have the best emergency plan written down in a fancy binder, but if your team doesn’t know what to do in real life, it won’t help much. Practicing your plan with regular drills and exercises helps everyone feel more confident and prepared when something unexpected happens.
Here’s a closer look at how to practice your office emergency plan so your team is ready for anything.
Understand Why Practice Matters
It’s one thing to read about an evacuation route or listen to someone explain it during a meeting. It’s another thing entirely to actually walk that route in a stressful situation.
Regular drills help employees learn the quickest and safest ways to exit the building, where to gather outside, and who to check in with. By practicing, everyone gets used to the process and will react more calmly and confidently during a real emergency.
Drills also help you spot potential problems in your plan — like blocked exits, poor communication tools, or misunderstandings about roles.
Set Clear Objectives for Your Drills
Before you run a drill, decide what you want to accomplish. Is the goal to practice a full building evacuation? Test your emergency communication system? Or maybe focus on how quickly employees can gather at assembly points?
Having clear objectives helps make the drill more focused and meaningful. It also allows you to measure how well the team performs and where improvements are needed.
Involve Everyone
Everyone in the office should participate in emergency drills, from top leadership to part-time workers. Emergencies don’t care about job titles, so everyone needs to know what to do.
Including all staff not only keeps everyone safe but also builds a stronger sense of teamwork. When people practice together, they’re more likely to look out for each other during a real crisis.
Focus on Evacuation Routes and Assembly Points
During drills, make sure employees know exactly where to go and how to get there. Walk them through each evacuation route so they feel comfortable with it.
Highlight all exits, including secondary routes that might be needed if the main exit is blocked. Once outside, everyone should know where to gather. Having a designated assembly point makes it easier to take attendance and ensure no one is left behind.
Review Communication Procedures
A big part of any emergency plan is knowing how to communicate clearly and quickly. During drills, practice using any tools your office has in place — like an intercom system, mass text alerts, or emergency group chats.
Discuss what information needs to be shared and who is responsible for sending updates. Good communication helps reduce confusion and keeps everyone on the same page during an emergency.
Assign Roles and Responsibilities
In every emergency plan, certain employees have specific roles. Some might be responsible for checking offices to ensure everyone has left, while others might help guide people down stairwells or assist those who need extra help.
Make sure these roles are clearly assigned and practiced during drills. People should know not only what they need to do but also who they can turn to for help.
Evaluate and Improve
After each drill, take time to review how it went. Gather feedback from employees about what worked well and what felt confusing or difficult.
Look for delays or bottlenecks in evacuation routes and identify any gaps in communication. Use this feedback to update and improve your emergency plan.
Remember, practicing your emergency plan isn’t about assigning blame if something goes wrong during a drill — it’s about learning and making things safer for next time.
Keep It Regular
Running a drill once a year isn’t enough to build real confidence. Make emergency practice part of your office routine. Quarterly or biannual drills are a good place to start, but you can adjust based on your office size and risk factors.
Regular practice keeps procedures fresh in everyone’s minds and ensures new employees are quickly brought up to speed.
Final Thoughts
Having a commercial security alarm is a great step toward protecting your office, but it’s only part of the puzzle. Practicing your emergency plan brings that puzzle together by preparing your team for situations where technology alone can’t help.
By setting clear objectives, involving everyone, focusing on evacuation and communication, and making practice a regular habit, you help create a safer and more confident workplace.
Emergency preparedness might not be the most exciting part of office life, but it’s one of the most important. A team that knows what to do is a team that can stay calm, act fast, and keep each other safe when it matters most.