NORWAY Law and Practice Contributed by: Elisabeth Roscher, Tine Vigmostad, Geir Sviggum and Kristin Nordland Brattli, Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma AS
6.6 Communication to Employees See 6.2 Internal Communication regarding communication to employees. Common steps taken to ensure employee morale and productiv- ity may include effective communication as well as offering various types of assistance, specifi- cally if individuals are affected. 6.7 Communication With Affected Parties Although companies may be subject to notifica- tion requirements (see 5.3 Co-Operating With Enforcement Authorities ) for certain crises, there are generally no statutory obligations as to which channels should be used for commu- nication with people affected by the crisis. One exception is stock exchange announcements, which must be made through specific chan- nels (see 6.4 Investor Relations) . Some public authorities also have established dedicated noti- fication channels in the event of a crisis – for example, the Norwegian Environment Agency. However, there are generally no obligations to use specific channels to inform the general public about immediate crises for companies not subject to specialised legislation. Neverthe- less, previous crises and risks of future crises may be an integral part of more general reporting obligations, and such reports may be required to be published on the company’s website, for instance – an example of this is reports under the Norwegian Transparency Act. Regarding which communication channels are typically used outside statutory reporting and notification obligations, see 6.1 Co-Ordination of Communications .
sis related to), as well as co-ordinating the com- munication through the head of communication and/or a centralised communication team, are key factors for ensuring consistency and accu- racy of the communication. Relevant challenges faced by companies in their communication work include: • balancing accuracy and the need for an immediate response; • co-ordinating between different departments of the company; • managing misinformation from individuals or other stakeholders; and • handling intense media pressure. A clear communication plan, as well as obtaining external expertise when necessary, are possible key factors for handling such challenges. 6.4 Investor Relations Communication with investors should typically be based on the same elements as for effec- tive external communication in general (see 6.3 External Communication ). Additional work- streams are also often handled by the investor relations team, to maintain investor confidence. In some cases, providing a stock exchange announcement may be required under the Secu- rities Trading Act. 6.5 Customer Relations Addressing customer concerns and maintaining trust during a crisis may be done through effec- tive external communication and co-ordination (see 6.1 Co-Ordination of Communications and 6.3 External Communication ). Channels used to communicate with customers may include the media, the company’s website and emails.
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