USA Law and Practice Contributed by: Jeff McAndrews, Megan Bouchier and Peter Gardner, FGS Global
6.6 Communication to Employees Do Not Let a Company’s Response Become Its Own Crisis Employees are an increasingly vocal source of support and criticism who tend to base their judgement more on the company’s response to a crisis than the nature of the crisis itself. With that in mind, it is wise for companies to priori- tise communications to this group, ie, act quickly and be sure to reference the company’s mission, vision and values in employee communications. Assuring employees that the organisation is liv- ing the values its culture is built upon helps to maintain their confidence and morale. The Unique Role Employees Play in a Crisis It is also important for companies to remember that employees play a unique role in crisis com- munications themselves. When telling employ- ees about the resolution, companies should make sure they understand the company’s decision-making as well as any limits on what they can or cannot say publicly. This is espe- cially important for employees who deal with outside parties, and who may have the matter brought up in the course of their work. Compa- nies should be careful to explain any constraints on what they can say about the matter, while still fostering a sense of teamwork and authenticity. 6.7 Communication With Affected Parties Do Not Make Unnecessary Changes The most effective channels are the ones that are typically used. If a company breaks proto- col in the course of trying to reach its stake- holders, this can often confuse or worsen the problem. Still, some circumstances like data breaches may require new or specific channels of communication that are outside the traditional scope. The key for companies is to be aware of any legal, regulatory or other requirements like
this ahead of time and to build those into the response framework, so all communications are consistent, compliant and compelling.
7. Learning From Past Crises 7.1 Post-Crisis Review: Learning Lessons The Aftermath: Learning From Crises
There are several ways to extract lessons from crises both in the immediate aftermath and on a continued basis. A post-mortem internally, where leaders provide a qualitative review of the situation, and externally, where an expert reviews and assess protocols and plans, should reveal successes and missteps. Then ongoing tabletops where leaders simulate crisis situa- tions can help uncover operational inefficiencies or gaps that may not have been relevant dur- ing the most recent crisis but that could come up in the future. The lessons from these types of exercises will become the foundation for a new and improved crisis management plan and should all be actioned into clear improvements to processes and protocols. Crisis management is a cycle: companies should prepare, respond, recover, assess, and then prepare again. Only by learning and iterating is it possible for com- panies to stay ahead. 7.2 Policy Update Policies Demonstrate a Commitment to Change As the company begins to move forward, it is crucial for board members, management and external advisors to engage in blame-free dis- cussions about what worked well and what could be improved or changed or newly implemented for future crises. Additionally, they should review feedback from employees and the public, as well as their existing policies, marketing content,
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