Big Firms Fast to Rebound From Quake : Survey: Of the companies polled, 90% reopened within five business days. Valley employers reported a rise in morale and productivity.

A recent survey of large businesses affected by the Northridge earthquake found that 90% of them were able to reopen their facilities to employees and resume operations within five business days of the Jan. 17 temblor.

The survey of 61 companies--68% of them in the San Fernando Valley--by the consulting firm of Drake Beam Morin Inc., also found employers reporting an increase in employee morale, teamwork and productivity in the weeks following the temblor.

The 6.8-magnitude quake forced many companies to allow employees to work from home or come to work at different hours. The survey found that many companies have been so pleasantly surprised by the continued productivity of employees under the new work schedules that the changes have been made permanent.

But while the survey found that 90% of the companies had an emergency response plan in place prior to the earthquake, many companies reported that the plans addressed only emergencies during working hours and most were not implemented because they failed to include ways to contact employees at home or how to resume operations.

Colleen Peterson, a vice president in the Woodland Hills office of New York-based DBM who prepared the report, said her company decided to conduct the survey to help businesses better prepare for future emergencies by sharing information on how other firms dealt with the quake.

“The mutual goal of all participants in this effort has been to minimize the negative impact of any future crisis, and maximize the opportunities for enhanced employee relations and re-establishment of trust necessary for continued growth and productivity,” Peterson said in the report.

DBM--which primarily counsels workers through stressful job transitions--mailed its questionnaire to about 200 companies in the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, Ventura County and the Santa Clarita Valley. The 61 companies responded both by mail and in personal interviews.

According to the survey, few companies reported significant negative or positive long-term impacts due to the quake. Other than retail businesses, few respondents reported lost clients or orders based on the temblor. No company reported customer satisfaction problems that arose from the crisis. In fact, companies reported that they received positive support from customers and vendors.

The increase in employee morale and productivity was attributed to a sense of achievement generated by contributing to cleanup and rapid business resumption. Companies gave their employees $50 bonuses or letters of appreciation from company presidents, held parties and barbecues at work, allowed more “casual dress days” at work and involved employees in the redesign of workstations.

Zenith Insurance Co. in Woodland Hills, which has offered employees more “casual dress” days and shorter work weeks with longer hours, was one of those companies that had been hesitant to implement telecommuting for its employees for fear of losing productivity.

But the temblor forced Zenith to allow some employees to telecommute, said Jim Robinson, a Zenith senior vice president, who added that the company was pleasantly surprised with the results.

But some companies went back to pre-quake schedules as soon as possible.

Larry Bryant, a spokesman for Blue Cross of California in Woodland Hills, which employs 2,200 people, said his company had implemented changes immediately after the quake, but resumed normal schedules within a few weeks.

Among suggestions offered by the report are setting up alternatives to phones, keeping emergency supplies and critical records outside buildings, and creating an ongoing budget component for emergency funds.

Among other findings of the survey:

* The biggest barriers to resumption of business were power and water outages, water damage and general cleanup. The report recommends having an alternate site available.

* More than half the companies showed “compassionate” support by paying employees while operations were suspended, providing loans, implementing flexible work hours and providing counseling.

Times staff writer Vivien Lou Chen contributed to this story.