Internal crisis communication – how to communicate well with employees during a crisis?
There are some situations that I’m sure none of us want to find ourselves in. Unfortunately, after the crisis related to the Covid-19 pandemic, we come to face yet another one, even more tragic, related to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The reality of war naturally influences the functioning of many organizations globally, requiring their managers to implement sudden changes in diverse areas of activity.
Uncertainty and fear affect people, especially since we must deal with enormous disinformation spread by different media every day. As a natural consequence, employees are increasingly distrustful of communication in the workplace. How can you prevent problems in internal crisis communication?
What is crisis communication?
Crisis communication refers to a developed plan, methods, and tools that an organization can use during a crisis to communicate within and outside the company to save the image and business arrangements. A crisis can be caused by many factors, from an unfavorable comment on social media to global threats like disasters or war. Therefore, any countermeasures should be adjusted to the scale of the threat. Nevertheless, you cannot be ready for every crisis, because such situations often occur suddenly, overnight. However, it is important to know how to respond to a crisis when it does happen.
The organization should always be prepared for the bad times to come. Communication in the face of a crisis should be clear, consistent, and conducted through proven channels. Above all, it should be carried out internally to develop the most effective recommendations for all employees. The company’s line of communication with external parties should be one to avoid disinformation. In the below article, we would like to present how to plan an internal crisis communication. We will provide you with valuable sources of information so you can plan the right actions.
How to conduct effective internal crisis communication?
It is difficult to remain indifferent to a situation of unjustified aggression against an independent state. It causes fierce opposition and directs our thoughts to the situation of the civilian population. Many of us are following the events in Ukrainian cities and looking for opportunities to help the refugees. We keep doing it also at work. Employees feel a great need to talk about the crisis, so you need to give them adequate and safe space on your intranet. Let it be a place where they can share information for example about initiatives to help those affected by the crisis.
If you are responsible for internal crisis communication with employees, make sure your messages are empathetic and consistent. Publish regular information related to the situation of your organization during the crisis. Keep them informed about all activities, plans, and arrangements. However, avoid the noise of communication; try to have a balanced discussion with your employees. Avoid entertaining topics and limit communication to the most important information on topics unrelated to the current situation. You can also create a public list of organizations, websites, or phone numbers that will be helpful to your employees. Put them in your internal communication system.
If you speak Polish, we encourage you to visit the page of our partner – Learn Place. They published an inspiring article about internal crisis communication, where you can find valuable guidelines: https://learnplace.pl/2022/03/07/komunikacja-wewnetrzna-w-czasie-kryzysu-jak-rozmawiac-z-pracownikami/
What to communicate to your employees?
It’s hard to speak up in a situation that takes away our speech. However, the role of internal communicators in organizations should be to control emotions and take a matter-of-fact approach to organize communication within the company. Try to build messages on empathy but be always factual. Communicate only proven information and decisions. Be open to any discussion, show patience with questions. Remember that your employees may be emotional about the situation.
Internal crisis communication shouldn’t also be too formal. Become a guide for your employees, a leader, but stay open to their needs. Assure them often that they are safe. Check out what Gartner writes about crisis communications. You will find their valuable tips that will direct you to the most appropriate way to conduct your crisis communications using the link: https://blogs.gartner.com/dorian-cundick/what-to-say-to-employees-when-you-dont-know-what-to-say-executive-messaging-for-wartime/
How internal crisis communication can support you in dealing with disinformation?
In a world where everyone has access to social media, it’s not hard to intentionally spread misleading information. All it takes is for someone to believe them. How can you protect yourself and your employees from disinformation? Can you take action to curb disinformation in your organization?
What is disinformation?
According to European Union, “Disinformation is understood as verifiably false or misleading information that is created, presented, and disseminated for economic gain or to intentionally deceive the public, and may cause public harm.”[1]
Knowing how often disinformation is currently used naturally causes a decrease in trust in the messages disseminated online. This also translates into a decrease in trust in internal crisis communication in the workplace. That’s why it’s so important that the information you provide in your communication channels is reliable and verified. Don’t be afraid to verify messages left by your employees. Ask them for sources, and if they are uncertain, don’t hesitate to moderate the content or even delete it. The NASK National Research Institute published a graphic on TT outlining 5 rules for content verification to avoid spreading misinformation.
According to these rules, you should verify:
✔ the source (whether you know the author),
✔ the truth and logic of the message,
✔ whether another source confirms the information,
✔ what is the opinion of the author and what is a fact,
✔ whether the author has reported the situation to the appropriate services, if necessary.
Educating employees about the dangers of spreading disinformation is also important; how destabilizing it can be in the social or political situation. Try to use educational materials. Be aware of the existence of manipulation in texts, be sensitive to it. Be especially cautious of photoshopping and verify the authenticity of images. Also, be aware of your own bias, try to be objective, and don’t give in to emotions. Our partner, iComms, presents very useful tips to avoid disinformation. Check them if you understand Polish: https://icomms.pl/komunikacja-wewnetrzna-w-walce-z-dezinformacja/
You may also be inspired by a message from the World Federation of Advertisers, which has compiled a list of what organizations can do to make sure their actions do not support disinformation: https://wfanet.org/knowledge/item/2022/03/07/Navigating-digital-media-safety-and-suitability-in-the-time-of-war
To sum up
Internal crisis communication is extremely difficult to conduct. That is why it is so important to stick to the principles mentioned above. This brings good results not only within the organization but also outside it. The framework you outline for yourself will help you control emotions, information chaos, and conduct consistent communication based on proven sources and the truth. Let employees feel they can trust your messages even in the most rapidly changing situations.
[1] Action Plan against Disinformation, European Commission contribution to the European Council (2018) https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/eu-communication-disinformation-euco-05122018_en.pdf