It’s clear that organizations need a crisis management plan for dealing with the media and their stakeholders outside the company. The party that many overlook, though, is their own employees. Why is this so important, and how do you do it? This quote from a Communicate Magazine article explains:
The ire of the public can hit hard. So how does the internal communicator counteract the negative messages coming from outside the organisation? How hard is it to keep up employee morale when the employer is the media’s bête noire or the public’s whipping boy? How should internal communicators make sure their version of events gets heard, in the face of negative reporting?
Firstly, organisations need to reassure employees with strong leadership. “Getting buy-in from senior management, but also from your employees, is essential to efficiently align all channels of communication,” says Sheila Parry, founder and managing director of internal communications agency theblueballroom. “It’s important that your employees are engaged with the organisation behind a common goal, a shared vision. Explaining these goals in the context of the business world and the industry in which the organisation operates will create real meaning for your employees. If you’ve achieved that, you should be able to weather most crises and, in the end, it could actually be work out to be something positive for the organisation.”
Remember, employees not only help run the business, but each of them is a spokesperson for your brand. The more informed and engaged they are, the stronger your organization becomes.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/