When the world stops. Employee communications in times of crisis

These are uncertain times. The emergence and spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, reignites the discussion about what we say to our employees when times are tough. When the world around us seems to stop, cohesive and transparent communication is needed more than ever.

You are always adapting in a crisis, so you may be trying to recover a reputation, making sure your employees are safe, or ensuring business continuity for your clients. Before any of that can be secured, you have to start by putting yourself in your employees’ shoes.

What’s the benefit? They say if you want to help others, you start with yourself. Directing our energy outside of the organisation to important clients or partners is natural in situations like these; however, more and more, we’re seeing the significance of effective communication to internal stakeholders above all others. Employees that feel taken care of not only make for happy customers – they help a business survive.

Tried and tested fundamentals in any crises: react quickly, be open and honest, keep the message clear. You have to build trust and demonstrate that those in charge are capable of handling the situation. Essentially we’re saying, “don’t worry, you’re in good hands.” These basic premises help minimize damage to the brand, ensure your employees feel safe, and keep business going as best as possible.

But we live in a world where every employee is also an ambassador with a handheld megaphone. Thanks to social media, their voice is loud and trusted. Their opinions influence the way your brand is seen at a moment where emotions are high and critique is sharp. How you acknowledge and address your employees’ needs during this time will determine how much they advocate for you. If you’re telling them, “you’re in good hands, we’ve got this,” then it’s in your best interest to think about what “this” is. For this, you need to prepare with a few fundamental steps.

First, put the right team in place. When bringing together your crisis management team, remember that the role of communications lead shouldn’t just fall on the CEO or manager by default. This individual may not be the voice saying the words, but they will work behind the scenes to ensure the right tone is being struck, questions are being answered, and feedback is gathered. They take responsibility for when things are sent out and in what way. If you have the option, find employee representatives that can participate in selected processes and make them responsible for disseminating the communication.

Second, plan for flexibility. This is where previous commitment to communication with your employees will bear fruit. As you talk to your employees, they will respond and you should be prepared to listen.Whether you conduct company-wide surveys, talk to individuals by the coffee machine, or consult with representatives and mid-level management, you need to know how what you’re saying is being received and more importantly, what they want to know more about. Your communications lead should create a framework to gather this data as efficiently as possible, and ensure it is being regularly updated and revisited.

In the final and most vital stage of preparation, consider your worker’s anxieties and how to ease them. Employees worry about who is handling the situation, how safe they are at work, what decisions are being made without their input, and whether they will have a future to look forward to.

Studies on crisis communication globally have shown that employees routinely describe how important hearing the voice of a leader is to them. This might be live, on social media, internal communications, or emails. If you’re sending out guidelines for how to behave at the office, sign off with your own name. If you’re thanking them for their patience and support, consider doing it in video form so they can hear your voice.

Aside from ensuring the content of our communication is informative, specific, and reassuring, we have to make sure it is visible. An omni-channel approach gives you the best chance of reaching everyone who needs to be reached. Among others, use social media, email, phone, physical meetings (currently with appropriate distance) or internal tools and intranets.

Be frequent and consistent, especially in the beginning. It may seem like employees want all the answers at once, but waiting until that’s the case can cause more uncertainty than bite-sized updates. In any crisis, communication plans change within a daily cycle, more than weekly or monthly. That being said, it’s important to remember that as time goes on, so-termed “oversharing” may be counterproductive. When communicating every other day, trying to align multiple messages may create unnecessary disorganisation – finding the right balance will depend on the situation, industry, and the organisation’s culture.

As they’re not involved in the process, certain decisions may seem arbitrary to them. Difficult announcements that go unexplained build resentment and distrust, which affects how loyal they will feel towards your business. Their performance may suffer or they may even leave. Communications can combat this by guiding employees through decision-making processes and inviting them to understand the rationale.

This ties into the sensitive dilemma of the future. They may ask: how safe is my job? Following a recent study by a local recruitment agency, which asked employees about their fears and needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, 85% of respondents did not feel concerned that they might lose their jobs. However, the survey found that over the course of three days, employee fear regarding job security increased each day.

Let’s not be naive – we can’t give everyone all the answers. Regular and clear communications shows your employees that not only are you making decisions competently and with their best interests at heart, you’re inviting them on the journey with you. By recognizing their needs, you can establish a level of trust that better equips both parties to approach potentially difficult conversations with a partnership mindset.

Over time, questions like these will be asked more and more often. Our fundamentals tell us that honesty and openness can be powerful allies here. It’s our role to come up with the answers and take care of our people when they feel at their most vulnerable.

We will not always get it right. Crisis communication is often a game of trial and error and organisations cannot fear mistakes. Empathy and vigilance are crucial skills in our new toolbox, to think first and foremost about the people who show up at our offices every single day. When the world stops, we must think and act like people, not only as institutions.

Author: Anna Romańska, Employer Branding