How to Manage Employee Communications in a Crisis

You can’t predict every possible eventuality for your business. After all, how many of us saw a pandemic coming? However, you can prepare for a crisis to help ease the long-term impact on productivity and morale. As you know, effective communication is key to a successful business. So, with that in mind, what’s the best way to manage employee communications in a crisis?

The role of a leader in crisis

When the proverbial hits the fan, the primary role of a leader is to show empathy and confidence. Your colleagues will look to you for guidance and seek reassurance in your actions, so project positivity and show you’re confident in what you’re saying.  

It may be a good time to write down your principles and share them with your team – this will help you make the right decisions, lead by example and ensure everyone you work with is on the same page. 

Crucially, do what you say you’ll do, and follow your own advice. This will inspire confidence and trust in others, creating a positive “in this together” mindset. 

Your duty as a leader is to keep your colleagues physically and emotionally safe, making them feel secure and protected as employees.  

Listen to what your employees say and take advice. Even leaders don’t have all the answers, so take counsel from others, then own your decisions and actions.

What are the communication priorities when a crisis hits?

If you have a documented crisis plan, now is the time to dig it out – and use it. 

 Think about everyone you need to communicate with – employees, peers, customers, suppliers, the media, unions – then establish and share your key messages for each respective group to ensure consistency. 

Stand in the shoes of each audience group and see things from their perspective.

What questions and concerns will they have?

Anticipate and prepare answers for every question or find the information if you’re not sure.

How frequent should communications be in a crisis?

It’s essential to communicate frequently and regularly in a crisis. Your employees, customers and stakeholders are bound to have questions and need reassurance from you, so even if you think there’s nothing new to say, keep in touch. 

You may feel like you’re repeating yourself, but stick to your message, ask questions, and never blag your way through an answer – if you’re unsure, be upfront and reassure your employees you’ll find the information they need. 

There’s no definitive answer to how frequently you should communicate in a crisis because every business and situation is unique. It’s your job as a leader to determine the best solution for your team – whether that’s hourly or twice-daily.  

Why is timing important for crisis communications?

Timing is a critical factor in your crisis communications strategy. Rushed messages run the risk of overpromising and underdelivering. On the other hand, delayed reactions can breed anxiety and misinformation. 

It’s essential to communicate quickly to make sure your message is relevant, but always take the time to get it right.  

Say when you’ll communicate and stick to it – your employees will look to you for guidance, so be present, be consistent and avoid creating a vacuum where rumours can spread.

How to communicate when jobs are at risk

Depending on the nature of the crisis, your colleagues may be experiencing fears around job security. To navigate this, stay calm and provide as much information as you can. 

Show empathy, putting people before profit and letting them see that they’re your priority. 

Remember, your role as a leader is to make employees feel safe, even if their job isn’t secure, so reassure them you’ll look after them whatever happens. Speak honestly about the possibility of job losses and explain how you’ll do the best for them if it comes to that.  

Again, acknowledge their questions, answer as many as you can and seek out responses to those you can’t.  

Importantly, avoid telling someone their job is safe if it isn’t – it won’t benefit anyone in the long run and it will break the trust for those that stay with you and remember you weren’t truthful. 

 Two-way communications in a crisis

How you manage employee feedback during a crisis will define your legacy as a leader.  

Ensure your line managers feel empowered to support your workforce, giving them a clear strategy to seek out feedback and answer questions in a consistent and confident manner. 

Central briefings with Q&As can work, depending on the size of the company and the location of your employees. The best way to ensure feedback is acknowledged and actioned is to assess what works best for your teams. However, you decide to proceed, make sure you’re opening up two-way communication channels rather than simply transmitting information and hoping for the best. 

Once you’ve gathered feedback and answered questions, it’s a good idea to record all information and make it accessible for your teams to refer to again when needed.  

Always keep your communications neutral, striking a balance between overly emotional and unemotional, making sure you show empathy in a professional way. 

Managing communications after a crisis

Once the crisis has passed, it’s time to learn from it.  

Evaluate how things went and seek out feedback on what could have been done differently. Did the crisis identify any communication gaps? Or weaknesses in technology?  

If you didn’t have that documented plan at the beginning of the crisis, now is the optimum time to create it. You’ve lived through it, so you’re perfectly positioned to set out how to refine your approach for the next time, should the worst happen.  

Good leaders have a crisis plan. Great leaders take that plan out regularly to discuss it, road-test it and improve it.  

Get your team together and think of all the different crises you could face in the future – a product recall, fire damage, death, or (dare we say it?) another pandemic.  

Do you have everything in place to tackle these challenges head-on?

If not, get your thinking caps on and make sure the next time crisis knocks, you’re cool, calm, caring and confident. 

Get support to manage your crisis successfully

Supporting your employees through a crisis helps you to maintain loyalty and safeguard your business. We’ve been there to guide organisations of all sectors and sizes through a variety of challenges, and we’re here to help you do the same.  

For insightful advice and practical support on effective employee crisis communications, speak to our award-winning team of business communication experts. Call us on 07812 343310 or email hello@enthuse-comms.co.uk