Employees First, Public Second: 3 Comms Lessons Learned During the Global Health Crisis
No stranger to crises (unfortunately) given my profession, I am still a bit in shock at how the pandemic took on such a different shape than any other crisis I have handled in the past. The experience has of course impacted all of us in some way, personally and professionally. But, as I sit in my home desk chair in my Head of Communications & Public Relations role working on an employee training video, I reflect upon how much the focus of my role has shifted. For most of last year, employees were my first priority and the public second.
If you have ever been in a communication or public relations role, you understand why that statement is such a mindset shift. Typically the human resources department, or perhaps an internal/employee communication leader or team, is tasked with employee care and engagement. A global Head of Communications would certainly provide messaging for all stakeholders in a crisis, including employees, but the focus and energy of the crisis communication team would, without question, be on the public.
So, I want to share with you the unique lessons the global health crisis has taught me in hopes that these will help you for not if (again, unfortunately), but when, the next novel crisis hits.
Know Your Organization Backwards and Forwards
This statement means more than a peek at an organizational chart; more than knowing how many offices your company has; and more than knowing the heads of departments. It means you have a deep and thorough understanding of all functions, from customer service to operations. Fortunately for me, my company supported international travel so I was able to visit offices and learn a bit about the culture while having discussions with a wide array of employees. I have attended several cross-team summits and events, which provided me with extensive knowledge of the company’s inner workings (with team-building fun as well, of course). So, when the pandemic hit and all offices moved to a remote-work environment, I knew what an undertaking that was.
My fellow communicators know how critical it is to have all — emphasize ALL — the facts when messaging any communication. At the pace the pandemic was spreading across the globe, there just wouldn’t have been time (and no one had the bandwidth given all the other moving parts) to get me up to speed. Plus, I had my finger on the pulse of the appropriate tone for our diverse group of employees. Again, thanks to dozens of pre-pandemic in-person meetings and phone calls.
I always had a natural curiosity, but this experience underlined the importance, from a business perspective, of truly knowing my organization. If you don’t know yours, dig in today. Push for it with senior leadership if you need to.
Quelling Employees’ Fears is Top Priority
Most crises are scary in one way, shape or form. Obviously the wide-reaching personal impact of this health crisis instantly changed the landscape. Especially in the first days and weeks, where information was limited and scientists were in discovery mode, many employees were fearful. It wasn’t even a conscious decision to step in and quell their fears. I just knew it was a must.
Enter the paradigm shift. “Normal” crisis: various communications via different mediums to the media and the public; perhaps one communication to employees to keep them in the loop. Coronavirus crisis: the exact reverse. We ensured that we were clearly communicating to customers, but given that we are a SaaS company, we could promise that it would be business as usual for them. Plus, we already had a business continuity plan in place so we weren’t scurrying to create one from scratch. My time and effort were squarely focused on employees.
A multinational food manufacturer made the mistake of putting the public above employees by placing a letter from the CEO as an advertisement in several prominent dailies. It was perceived as being extremely insensitive to workers and ended in backlash from employees.
Dozens of CEO letters and career pages state that employees are the backbone of the company. During times of crisis, we CANNOT forget that, even if that means setting other business priorities aside.
Thank goodness we did.
It is Okay — and Necessary — to Push Pause on External Promotion
Because one of my key performance metrics is share of voice (SOV: measures visibility vs. key competitors), the resulting collapse of meaningful comparative data was inevitable. Not only had my workload increased, but I also had to pause my contract with external public relations agencies as my company decided to take the proactive, conservative measure to limit spending. The bulk of my days was spent almost entirely on internal communication.
I was so torn; how could I almost completely step away from the work for which I was hired to perform? At the same time, there was no way I could cease the work I was doing at that time; we were in a global pandemic and this is what felt right.
Fast forward to August: the leadership team and I decided that employees were comfortable and all functions (operations, customer service, etc.) were in a good place. So, I resumed proactive efforts. With my external agency back on board, I have been pushing forward aggressively since summer 2020 but carefully, remaining sensitive to the ongoing consequences and concerns with regards to the pandemic.
There isn’t an end to this story because we’re all still living this abnormal life. It’s just a pause to reflect and share. I’ll forever look at crises differently.
