Employee Crisis Communications
In business, management face issues every day. Some are more easily solved than others. Some fester and grow and need a bigger, broader effort to resolve. Whether it’s an internal or external issue that affects your employees, customers or the public, we have the experience and expertise to help you solve the problem. The following two examples demonstrate the role effective communications play in handling a major crisis and managing a serious company issue.
In May of 2016, the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta, Canada's history resulted in the evacuation of more than 80,000 people. The fires burned communities to the ground and directly threatened the city of Fort McMurray and the vital oil production operations surrounding it. In total, more than 1.4 million acres were burned. One of the companies affected had a substantial infrastructure of buildings, equipment, vehicles and, more importantly, employees and their families—all in harm’s way. They needed to quickly account for every employee and determine if they were safe or needed help, protect the company’s assets, and provide emergency response to the area—all at the same time.
By rapidly implementing a communications strategy that combined text messaging to affected employees and social media, the company was able to keep the channels of communication flowing. Employees were accounted for as they evacuated with their families, assets were secured and emergency response activities commenced. The success of this communication strategy, helped the company prepare for, and respond to, the devastating hurricanes (Harvey, Irma and Maria) that later followed.
Employee Safety
As this company grew and expanded its service lines, the variety of job tasks and the number of employees performing them increased, heightening the need for greater safety awareness and a significant reduction in workplace injuries. Routine safety meetings, standard operating procedures and policies and procedures were in place, but a bigger overarching initiative was needed to ensure safety was the company’s No. 1 priority. A strategy was developed that targeted all levels of employees, in all job roles. A multi-channel communications plan was created and implemented that combined strategic messaging via in-person meetings, videos, printed materials, text messaging, company intranet and more. Through this initiative, the company successfully adopted a culture prioritizing safety first and reducing the number of workplace injuries.