Business Continuity is often associated with documents, spreadsheets, procedures saved somewhere in folders, and presentations that are opened once a year. Plans “just in case” - important, but distant. At Balcia, we see it differently. For us, continuity is not just a strategy on paper. It’s something that needs to be visible and felt in real life.
That’s why every one of our employees received a 72-hour emergency backpack. Not as a symbol, not as a gadget, but as a very tangible tool. Something you can place at home, open, check, and understand. Something that reminds us that responsibility is not a declaration - it’s action.
For many people, the moment the backpacks were handed out was surprising. Because suddenly, Business Continuity stopped being an abstract concept. It became something tangible. A backpack containing what can truly matter during the first 72 hours of a crisis -whether we’re talking about a technical failure, a natural disaster, a prolonged power outage, or other unpredictable events that increasingly appear in the news.
One employee shared:
“Only when I opened the backpack did I realize how many small things make up a sense of security - and how few of them we actually have prepared on a daily basis.”
And that’s exactly the point. This is not about fear, and not about big slogans. It’s about awareness and readiness. Research and recommendations from crisis management institutions clearly show that the first 72 hours after a sudden event are critical. This is the time when we often need to rely primarily on ourselves, before help arrives, before the situation stabilizes.
That’s why the initiative didn’t end with handing out the backpacks. We knew that preparedness is not just about having the right equipment, but also about knowing how to use it. After the distribution, we organized a short training session led by a professional with formal survival and emergency response training.
During the session, employees learned what exactly is inside the emergency backpack, what each item is used for, and in which situations it may become essential. Without sensationalism or dramatization, but with a focus on calm, rational action and realistic scenarios that could happen to any of us.
This training was only the first step. In the coming months, we plan to organize longer, more in-depth workshops that will allow employees to better understand how to prepare for extraordinary situations and to practice these skills in a safe environment. Because responsibility doesn’t end with providing tools, it begins where knowledge, awareness, and a sense of agency appear.
An important role in this project was played by bugout.eu, who prepared the backpacks with a strong focus on functionality and quality. It’s a reminder that being prepared isn’t only about the large-scale crises we see in the media. Sometimes it’s about the smaller, more personal situations that can affect any of us.
At Balcia, we believe that social responsibility starts inside the organization. With care for the people who create it. With real actions that give a sense that someone has thought about more than just results and KPIs. An emergency backpack won’t solve all the world’s problems - but it is a clear signal: your safety matters.
There are no big slogans or pathos here. Just a very concrete step we’re genuinely proud of. Because Business Continuity is not only about keeping a company running. It’s also about the continuity of care for people. And for that to be credible, it has to be visible in practice.
