Quick, clear, consistent communication that gets employees the answers they need
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Crisis Communication
Times of crisis require swift action and communication to ensure that employees feel supported. That's why it's important to have a crisis communication plan in place before a crisis hits.
What is crisis communication?
According to RockDove Solutions, crisis communication can be defined as "the technologies, systems and protocols that enable an organization to effectively communicate during a major threat to its business or organization." During the COVID-19 global pandemic, crisis communication has been more important than ever.
Why should you have a crisis communication plan ready, and how do you prepare?
A crisis communication plan should be put in place long before a crisis happens. Time is of the essence during a crisis, so you need to be prepared to communicate with employees quickly and effectively. It also becomes more expensive to create a crisis communication plan once the event has occurred.
01
Get a Team Together
Prepare For the Unexpected
Form a precrisis communication team and provide the training they'll need if the time comes to execute your crisis communication strategy. Think about all possible crisis scenarios that could occur.
02
Roll With The Punches
Create A Full-Proof Plan
If an unpreventable crisis, such as a natural disaster or pandemic were to strike, are your employees equipped to work from home? Do you have a plan in place to communicate and update employees regularly?
03
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Get A Strategy in Place
If the crisis is something that could have been prevented, such as a recalled product, do you have a public relations strategy ready to mitigate the damage?
04
Don't Get Caught Off Guard
Be Aware and Prepared
It's easy to bury your head in the sand and take a "this can't happen to us" approach. But that will leave you ill-prepared to deal with a crisis. And if you aren't prepared, your organization may be viewed in a very unfavorable light.
Plan Ahead
How to Communicate During and After a Crisis
If you planned ahead and already have your crisis communication strategy ready, great! You’re already ahead of the curve. Read on to learn how you can communicate to your employees during and postcrisis.
Smart Tip!
A Crisis Communication Example
PartnerComm’s crisis communication specialists used their expertise to communicate to employees at a global manufacturing company with essential workers during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The goal was to give employees transparent and consistent communication. We:
- Created digital signs with facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that were shared throughout the company
- Developed a home mailer with COVID-19 information, and guidance on where to find details during the ever-changing crisis
- Added relevant information to the existing benefits website
- Created editable flyers, posters and signs that local HR departments could update with the latest vaccine information